Ouas Scepter/Strategy

=General=

Duat Judgement/Duat Execution
Any smart opponent would try to kill the user of this accessory first, and for good reason. The scepter's modem operand i is it's standing special, Duat Judgement/Duat Execution, which exceedingly grows in power when the target has killed someone. If someone walks in on a currently damned to the netherworld subject, that person will also be shocked along with the one being judged, leaving a well timed attack on them to be guaranteed. If you get max voltage, don't forget that you can bypass a well predicted attack, bonus points if you bypass a counter you probed with a previous attack (This move isn't advised in Duels since there are no other targets other than your opponent that can be killed). DEATH NEVER DIES!

Resurrection Ankh and Deity Shine
Resurrection Ankh has nothing much to cover other than it being a simple Gut and it's invincibility upon it's ending frames, to which someone who isn't careful may leave themselves open from trying to hit you during these. Once the Ankh has been received, users will have access to Deity Shine, a move that recovers their MP Pool. This move is extremely important for when there is downtime and nobody is in pursuit, as the MP pool is Ouas's most important resource. Interesting to note is that you float in the air as you use this move, and if you have the help of teammates that can use moves like Harlequin Chips or Mighty Fortress barriers, Deity Shine will allow the user to stay even higher in the air and able to recharge energy with little chance of disturbance.

Jackal Aura
Jackal Aura increases the user's speed for a limited time, the buffs will also stack on each other. While it can be used to cover more distance with Duat Circle with less MP use and allow the user to jump some gaps, because of the limited time, the need to be unharmed during it's use, and the amount of time needed to stack the buffs makes it a rather risky technique. While the buff usually lasts for around 12 seconds, the Telepather and Magician styles, when using Jackal Aura, can increase the duration of each individual buff to twice the time that any other style using it would have, making it more worthwhile to use.

Nemesis Combo, Curse Rod, and Exile Rod
Nemesis combo by itself consists of two attacks, an advancing palm and a slap. Its recommended you don't bother much with the second attack because it has longer recovery time for practically the same damage and more effort. The first attack is important though, as it has decent aggression for a weak combo move and really easy to pressure opponents to set them up for mind games featuring your other moves. Curse Rod has a nifty spread for hitting more than one enemy, which can be effectively spammed on mobs of npc characters that tend to not immediately counter attack, setting them up for things like saber swings or possibly even getting a whole group turned into meeya with Dead Energy, with how easy it is to gather voltage. Lastly, Exile Rod provides some choice. When successful you can go right to Animosity Sphere and deal minor damage in the air and throw the opponent back, or you can wait and play the wake up game. If the opponent recovers, it will be a great opportunity use some attacks to bait and prepare one of your specials to punish them for thinking they can get a chance to put a hand on you. If not, then you can just finish with a small combo, whatever happens, move away as soon as possible to go back into Ouas's effective range, as these tactics are extremely risky to just go out of your way to do.

Nemesis Aura and Animosity Sphere
Both Nemesis Aura and Animosity Sphere launch opponents horizontally, knocking them back into a range more suitable for long range combat, but what really shines about these two attacks are their high risk high reward perks of hitting multiple targets with multiple hit attacks, causing the combo score to tear through the roof. In the case of time-up, you will likely be on top if these moves land multiple times. Nemesis Aura is especially important because it's hit rate allows the breaking of barriers much faster than your average piece of equipment, which can be quite useful in when dealing with cage blasters or traps. Sadly for Ouas, any enemies nearby that aren't caught in the wrath of these attacks will have a fairly simple target to punish, and Ouas is not something known for taking damage. Also of considerable note is the slower start up of the combo finishers, which often leaves the user wide open to fighters who would rather persevere the damage and immediately poke out of the combo, which is especially common with fighters that use Auto-Guard as their blocking style.

Curse Sphere
Curse Sphere has two modes of attack, a quicker less damaging sphere, and a slower to launch but just as fast three way shot that does more damage. Which of these you use depends on the situation at hand. The sad thing is that this move leaves you wide open for attack after it is used, as you can't do anything until you land. Both modes are especially good at maps with higher elevations like Great Avyon and Mora Shrine, where you can safely pick at opponents that would try to climb at you. The second mode of this attack also has more spread at higher elevations.

Curse Leg and Nemesis Combo Baiting
Curse Leg is your typical air attack, a nice air attack for invading your opponent's personal space or as a precaution to keep your opponent cautious during keep-away games to prevent them from doing the same to you, as it is much safer to use than Curse Sphere. If used to attack, it is extremely easy to go into your Nemesis Combo, where you can use it's first attack's relatively decent aggression and safe recovery to your advantage to advance to the opponent and probe for blocks to block predicted counters and counter with Crime Conviction or Duat Execution. If you're feeling especially lucky, jumping above them them as they get excited to attack, where you can either continue to pester the opponent with melee to send them flying with finishers, shoot Curse Spheres (preferably the single one for speed), or use Death Sphere/Dead Energy to punish still attacking players that failed to hit you, turning them into meeyas.

Duat Circle
Duat Circle is an extremely useful move for both mobility and damage, as it gives the user complete invulnerability while underground at the cost of MP, though you might want to mind the first few frames where you're still vulnerable to damage. Once completely submerged, you are able to bypass zoning hazards and trigger traps without being harmed, making it extremely easy to bypass teams that block narrow paths to isolate the user's teammates. However, just because it looks like you're underground, doesn't mean you won't run into solid objects, even ones made artificially from certain attacks, such as Optic Trooper's shield. The diving frames will also deal damage and stun the opponent for a split second, making a sure to hit combo with diving and rising, or your ally can take advantage of the stun and general safety of the Ouas user in this state to easily land one of their own attacks. If you hop out of Duat Circle under an opponent that has jumped, it is possible to throw in a Curse Leg the now airborne target as you descend. The tapped version of this attack shares many properties with Curse Rod, including the multi-hit. While it has greater damage, you can't really combo with it and is best used for hit and run.

Death Orb/Dead Energy
Death Orb/Dead Energy, as previously stated, turns your target into a meeya for a set amount of time. In this state, your enemies will be near helpless to the assault of ranged options you have at your disposal. However, well versed players will often play more defensively, often blocking moves that come at them and countering to deal damage, so going in close isn't advised. Machine guns are always great for punishing these turtle players, especially if they happen to have no guard on them. If you're out of ranged options, it is better to use the time your opponent is transformed to buff your speed with Jackal Aura or regenerate your MP with Deity Shine. Using the attack on the target while they're still meeyas will reset the timer.

Rejection/Persistent Sphere
Rejection/Persistent Sphere is a considerably dangerous anti-air attack, the starting sphere does huge damage, with the following spheres doing less and less damage as it goes on. While the attack can be held for a good while, it is not recommended since it drains MP like a mad dog for damage that isn't remarkable after the first few hits, as Ouas's MP pool is vital for it's other utilities. It is best to only use a few spheres to toss opponents upward with good damage. It is also possible to hit the fast falling opponent with Death Orb or combo them with weapons like machine guns or rifles, as well as whatever teammates may have at their disposal. If your opponent happens to block it, it's still good to have spheres still chasing them as they block so that the user can use a ranged move to immediately catch them right as they release their guard or continue to apply pressure as they're still guarding.

Alter Shine
Ouas Scepter's most infamous feature is it's Aim Attack, Alter Shine. It is an instant attack that can be executed at any aimed target. The higher the user's tech, the higher the range AND damage.... though an existing bug with tech causes aiming to become considerably less flexible to rely on after tech goes past it's 10th mark, making this move unreliable. Another key reason for the opposition to want this accessory destroyed as soon as possible is because Ouas makes a habit of many horrid things thanks to this attack alone, including being able to safely activate reversal specials and any other form of hit armor while still being able to use another Alter shine due to the attack technically not hitting the target (this however doesn't work on super armor) and staying out of sight and using Alter Shine as a surprising and cruel way to finish players off. This attack is also capable of punishing landing targets with ease, since there are a few frames where the player can't do anything, leaving them wide open for any attack. And one more thing to add to the primordial soup of trouble this attack can cause.... THE INTERRUPTION OF AIR SPECIALS (Go ahead and try me Shek).

Zombies Made From Alter Shine
If Alter Shine is used on an opponent at critically low health and there are more targets to annihilate, then you can use the ghost of your defeated enemy in team ups for a period of time. Since ghosts are immune to friendly fire in Team Death Match, they can be used as meat shields to fire weapons like rifles or machine guns. If an opponent gets caught by the ghost, it is the perfect time to use Death Orb/Dead Energy to create a battle worth seeing as you recharge your MP for future assaults.

Styles
Ouas Scepter leaves room for two attacks that will vary based on the style chosen, the step attack and weak dash attacks. What you want to look for when choosing a style for this weapon is high tech for damage output and high mobility stats to keep yourself from being damaged. While Ouas Scepter can be used by Hero Style, their poor mobility stats and reliance on strength makes them poor choices. While Unicorn style has the mobility down pat, because their main form of damage being replaced by Ouas's dominant movepool, relatively average tech damage, and mediocre dash and step attacks, Unicorn would still fall short of Ouas's best offensive potential even if it had extra tech buffs. The remaining styles are recommended as follows, your decision between these styles should be based on what kind of stat buffs and other skills you have set for the accessory.

Magician/Telepather
These two styles gain an extra benefit when using Ouas Scepter that no other style has. When Jackal Aura is used, amount of time the speed buff lasts is doubled, making it much more worthwhile to use and allows for a slightly more rushdown style that the styles don't normally have due to their speed. Thanks to their incredibly high jump, the air attack set (save for Curse Leg) has increased range with very nice damage still being made.

Gambler
Gambler style has the highest base tech in the game so far, buffs to it aren't needed to utilize Ouas's damage, and thanks to our previously mentioned bug, shouldn't have buffs beyond +1 if they intend to make the greatest use of Alter Shine. While Gambler's step attack is nothing noteworthy, Cyclonic Shot proves very useful as a reliable knock-back attack for keeping faster enemies away from you and in your effective range, or a very easy kick off the cliff to opponents turned into a meeya.

Fairy
Fairy Style may need a little help from tech boosts, +3 taking it to female gambler's base tech, Fairy style already has the best set of mobility to outpace most of the opposition, and even brings the some of the best step and dash attacks among the styles. The step attack has a chance to double hit and has reliable recovery to either immediately block afterwards or follow up with Nemesis Combo, while Lite Eraser can toss opponents upward to where they will waste MP for recovery and gamble the aerial wake-up game or allow themselves to be juggled for a small bit, the held version removes the former option.

Enchanter
Enchanter has a naturally higher tech, runs fast, and has higher defense than fairy or gambler, but their jump is low, which often forces them to rely on using Ouas's moves to reach certain heights, and on that note doesn't allow as much spread for Curse Orb as the two previously mentioned styles. Enchanter also brings rather mediocre step and weak dash attacks that do not facilitate Ouas' needs too well.

Good Matches
As a specialized long range zoning accessory that boasts mobility, Ouas Scepter is a really menacing opponent to slower enemies that Tank and Grapple, often too slow to punish Ouas's Curse Sphere attacks unless given a very costly or situational means of doing so. Thanks to Alter Shine's near instant nature and ethereal nature, it is also very good for attacking players that prefer camping and attack spam. Duat Circle is another very valuable option for such players in the case that their opponent is too far to aim at, often able to bypass Blazing Arc Arrows and triggering Lighting Arc arrows and other traps without taking damage. If someone is still firing or recovering from firing when you reach them, Death Orb will be a good way to start your assault, Dead Energy will be even better if the entire team is camping behind the ranger. Hit Armor counts as the armor being activated rather than actually hitting the target when using Alter Shine, which allows for repeated uses while also making the target defenseless to future attacks.

Bad matches
Despite Ouas Scepter having amazing utility and impressive ranged damage, it can't play mid-ranged too well by itself and very poor melee attacks for up front assaults, often relying on unspammable weapons like machine guns or rifles, or giving up a slot in trick to add Wind of Tengu (which is still rather avoidable) and remove a move that probably wouldn't be missed too much anyway. Its this glaring weakness that makes Ouas a prime target for styles that specialize in rushdown gameplay, such as Berserkers. In fact, any style that can apply pressure by catching up to an Ouas user can be a huge problem, but Berserkers are most notable for having both monstrous power and speed, along with very good combo ability, wiping out any offensively built Ouas user in possibly one combo if they get the chance. Because of this speed and power, your Alter Shine attacks will likely Whiff and you will surely have no time to get a substantial boost in speed or MP if you even do manage to knock them away, leaving you to the probably predictable Death Orb that can be blocked/avoided and be severely punished, probably wasting a good portion of the MP pool as you're trying to make it successful, so if you're gonna use Death Orb/Dead Energy, it would be wise to pressure these targets and make them fall for bait.

Vs. Reversal Bangle (Good)
The Reversal Bangle is a rather interesting accessory to fight with Ouas, thanks to it's assortment of Reversal attacks that can be safely triggered with Alter Shine, though it would be advised you don't bother with them when another teammate is handling, as you could trigger these attacks even if your opponent doesn't hit them. This becomes especially hilarious for the hold attack in edged areas like Great Avyon, where you can literally have them throw themselves off a cliff because of the instant dash forward that occurs when hit in most cases. This however, can be good on teams WITH Reversal Bangle, as it is possible to catch many opponents off guard with the standing special/super thanks to the relative ease and safety of activating them, giving Ouas players a very good reason to switch their aiming style to hit allies too.

Vs. Mighty Fortress (Neutral)
While GetAmped Mighty Fortress is very formidable with it's three hit shields, it's rather sad knowing that they can be eaten away relatively fast with Alter Shine. Though just like any other target, it requires the Fortress User to be still in order to break them, which is often easier said than done when you have one of their teammates pursuing you to no end, even worse is that Fortress users knowing this will immediately go to rush Ouas first, which is hardly any risk at all thanks to the thick layers of hit armor that protect them, making upfront counters very difficult, already stacking on Ouas's bad melee options. The Fortress's own Aim Attack can be easily broken by Nemesis Aura, but if you're caught in the air by it and you're a fair distance high, it may be better for users to take advantage of the height and allow themselves a free moment to recharge MP with little chance of disturbance. If however, this opponent is someone who traps and immediately follows up with an unblockable weapon, there is only the best of hopes that Duat Circle can be used before the weapon is used, completely negating damage and breaking the barrier for you.

Vs. Chain Blade (Bad)
The Chain Blade has very decent range and versatility for a melee based accessory, often able to punish Ouas users that rely on baiting for Death Orb. As it is often used by faster moving styles, it's hard to hit them with most of your ranged options without forcing them into a jumping situation, which also makes it easier for them to close the distance and use its already decent melee range to out-prioritize your melee attacks at a fairly safe distance.

General
Offensive users of Ouas Scepter need to take advantage of wide space and stay out of crowds, so larger maps will work better for it than smaller, more crowded maps. Elevation is also a key factor, with Curse Sphere, Death Orb/Dead Energy, and Alter Shine having great benefits on higher elevations. Alter shine also works if you're at a lower elevation from your opponent as well.

Death Match/Dogfight
In a mode where multiple combos net higher scores to players, Ouas is a very risky accessory to use. While Nemesis Aura and Animosity Sphere are great attacks for hitting multiple targets, they're still not the best at overall fighting, as Ouas is much safer with it's ranged attacks.

Team Death Match/Team Dogfight
This mode is where Ouas Scepter shines in the pvp arena. Alter Shine, aside from it's already apparent usefulness can be used to support bulkier teammates by interrupting combos used by powerful opponents such as Berserkers and as nice alley-oop attack to prevent the target from recovering in the air. Death Orb and Dead Energy can also be used as the opponent gets launched in the air, horizontally or vertically. A person transformed into a Meeya may be better left to someone with decent mid-range melee attacks. Duat Circle is very nice for safely passing under your own teams attack streams and hazards while getting behind the opponent to help push them in. Duat Circle can also be used to destroy enemy traps that may get in the way of your team, such as lighting arc arrows stuck in the ground. Duat Judgement/Execution is always a good late game choice since it's pretty guaranteed that your last opponent would have killed an opponent previously (unless said opponent dies via suicide or being knocked off the edge, where the death doesn't count). Rejection Sphere and it's super counterpart is also useful not only for setting up your own combos, but forcing the opponent to block a barrage of spheres will allow one of your allies to come up from behind and prepare their own otherwise risk heavy attacks.

General
In a mode where NPC enemies will often outnumber you and your team while likely at the same time overpowering, Ouas is extremely useful with it's creation of Ghosts to provide distractions and turning others into meeyas to shut down their specifically annoying moves from destroying the team.

Red Bull
One of the most important bits of knowledge is to know where your prime targets are going to appear, the sooner you turn them into meeya, the better, as it will prevent them from teaming up with their partners for a short time, so remember to keep them in that form for as long as possible as you deal with them. These prime targets will include the following: Jolly, Roger, Jorondo, Joy Ken, Ushio, Dangerous Boboi, Ponse, Zanki, Margarette, Jumbo, Digital Ogre, Digital Demon, Fever, Spin Jack, Dimon, Dark Sol Gel, Maxwell, Dalix, and Towa. In the event that several of these targets appear at the same time, choose whichever one that would be THE most threatening and stick to them as best as you can. Enemies with a gigantic weight/super armor cannot be turned into meeya or ghosts. It's important to note that these enemies will easily kill you if you're not careful. If you can get the opportunity to turn someone into a ghost, do so, because the extra punching bag walking around to be targeted is always helpful, being capable of taking decent punishment.

Fabicro
The Unwelcome visitors mission is home to enemies with many ranged attacks, so similar strategies in Red Bull also apply well here.

The Mysterious Priest
Every enemy excluding the super armor/gigantic weight enemies can be turned into ghosts, an ever so helpful skill in missions such as this, as you can take a lot of heat off your allies. It's also very easy to hit multiple enemies with Curse Orbs in this stage. Because of how slow a lot of enemies are and how easy it can be for allies to keep enemy attention on them, you can easily use Deity Shine on the ground to restore MP that you might have used up.... or you can jump on top of the pillars. For the Ammonus fight, the unheld Duat Circle is very useful for damage, since it can hit more than once with usual attack damage without a falling opponent, making it very spammable, one can also climb the stair can use Curse Orbs to attack from above and may even provide a nice distraction for your teammates below.

Bafabon
Ouas Sadly has very little use in the Bafabon missions. In both missions, you are unable to make ghosts. Duat Judgement/Execution and Resurrection Ankh are completely useless, and while the ability to regenerate MP is good, you won't find many uses for it since many enemies will yield little to no benefit from being turned into meeyas, and the ones that do have benefits are so spread out that you would probably have some mana to spare by the time the floor is over. While Nemesis Aura is good for hitting groups of Meeya, it's extremely risky in an operation that makes you share a health bar with your friends, and thus not a really good option to rely on, especially since their sheer numbers can crowd you in the middle of your attack if you're not careful. In Ruin Investigation, Ouas has no element to work with unless you give it an element changing inherit, and even then, most of what applies in the previous mission also applies here.

Dr. Diaper
Ouas's ability to make ghosts proves once again useful, though it is greatly advised that you don't make any in the second room, as the ghost can kill the final enemy and cause the rooms to transition before everybody is done opening the chests and drinking their health drinks. Hob Goblins and Keltom Knights can be turned into meeyas to make them less threatening (interestingly, Hob Goblins lose weight when transformed, giving them the same knockdown/up properties as your average enemy). A recommended skill here would be Wind of Tengu, which replaces Jackal Aura for the Basho Fan's most notable attack, giving you a more reliable and spammable projectile to fight Keltom enemies with, as well as helping damage bosses that would prove dangerous to get close to or risk Curse Orbs making you immobile for a second. Ouas also has great use in the final treasure area by being able to use Duat Circle to pass right under the titan to the right and keeping its attention while the first one gets killed. Ouas can also pass the spike bridge without harm, but faster users will need somebody to slow their movement so that they can go completely underground and not hit the spikes, once on the other side, a fairy or ninja player can pass the key over for a quicker opening of the door. Duat Circle can also be used to pass under the dragon and deal damage from behind. Ouas's effective range can be used on the rare event that Sataniel bugs and warps to the middle of the stage without a shield up.

Linda Bobo
While not having an element can be good for some weapons, Ouas isn't one of those. Without Viking (probably even with), Ouas can't exactly kill at a fast rate to rival accessories like Dread Hatchet or the ever so popular Saint's Cross, as the attack finishers are sluggish and most projectiles aren't exactly known for OHKOing even these mobs, even if you are using a gambler. Things don't looks too much better for the other two missions, as enemies are even more in both number and competence, making it that much harder to stay alive in what might already be a laggy game if you're on a low performance machine.

Zenjiro
Can't be emphasized enough on how helpful zombies can be in this set of missions, as an extra distraction to the hordes of enemies trying to kill off whoever you're escorting is super helpful when they're not far away from the commotion. Curse Sphere and rejection/persistent sphere will be your main forms of damage to the Ancient Dragon, while Ouas's other options are very nice to deal some damage without getting too close to Lt. Murder, also of note is that you can use Death Orb to turn Grim into a Meeya, diminishing his threat level greatly.

Street Fight
With the rate that people kill in this mode, it's not too hard to land optimal damage with Duat Judgement/Duat Execution. Resurrection Ankh is kinda pointless here since you can near immediately get back into the fight. Both maps give plenty of room for movement as well as areas great for attacking while putting yourself in minimal danger.

Duels
Ouas doesn't exactly have optimal use in the duel arena, thanks to there only being two players, with nobody for your opponent to kill to make the best use of Duat Judgement/Duat Execution or to make zombies with. Other than that, it is still a very powerful weapon in the hands of those who know how to avoid attacks while still managing to pepper opponents with their own attacks.