Guilty Gear -STRIVE- Nagoriyuki Guide Featuring Uriel_Legion

Nagoriyuki is one of the most fascinating characters to watch in Guilty Gear -STRIVE- as his wide-sweeping moves make him one of the most fearsome opponents you can come up against. What's more, his awesome design make him all the more awe-inspiring. Naturally, this draws several people to play the character with varying levels of success. To get that percentage up, DashFight has enlisted the help of an absolutely phenomenal Nagoriyuki player, Uriel_Legion to help with a guide. 

Uriel_Legion is a veteran of the FGC and his most recent exploit was leading his team, Spain, to the Semi-Finals of Strive Cup. In this guide, we'll look at all you need to know when it comes to playing Nago, at least to get you started. 

Guilty Gear -STRIVE-| Nagoriyuki Guide by Uriel_Legion

Best Buttons

With Nagoriyuki, the first thing you need to keep in mind is his blood gauge. It is a game mechanic unique to Nagoriyuki and it can be found just above the tension gauge. The blood gauge is a double-edged sword as it both buffs and causes a few problems for Nago. The way the blood gauge works is that it fills up with every special move that Nago performs and depletes when his normals hit the opponent. So, imagine the tension gauge has a number attached to it, say 300. Each of his special moves consumes about 90 points while his command dash consumes a lot less, about 40-45 points. 

Now, as the blood gauge fills, Nagoriyuki's jumps and some moves become a lot faster. However, when filled, Nago enters into a state of Blood Rage which depletes his healthy by 50%, but also enables him to move faster and hit harder. This is potentially useful in near-death situations when looking for a comeback, but more often than not it is best to avoid entering Blood Rage. 

With all that said, let's get into the best buttons

• 5P- This is a great button that's basically a fast poke that helps you settle in neutral. 5P is about 5f which is quick and is a great reaction tool. It can also be used as an emergency anti-air. Most times it will trade, but it helps stem a potential onslaught by the enemy. 
• 6P- This is easily one of the best anti-airs in the game. It has upper body invulnerability and Nago can use it to deal some very high damage. Utilizing 6P against enemies who aren't scared to jump could lead you to victory and it is a dangerous move for careless foes. 
• 5K- This is another of the fast buttons that Nagoriyuki has at his disposal. 5K can be used as a gatling option with a bar of blood gauge and is 0 on block making it relatively safe when using against opponents. Furthermore, it's an excellent combo starter that can lead to a great deal of damage. 
• 2S- Yet another fast move (Nago has a lot of those) which is a reliable low and is great as a combo starter
• 2H- This is another of Nago's phenomenal anti-airs. It's almost impossible for it to fail due to how wide and far-reaching the swing is. Use this against jumping opponents to knock them right back down to earth
• 5H- A long-reaching move that is great in neutral. It also deals a massive amount of damage on hit and some chip damage on block.
• 6H- This is mostly used as a combo ender. It's also an overhead that can catch opponents blocking low.

Specials

• Zarameyuki- This move is like a projectile. Nago fires off a body double to hit the opponent. It cancels single-hit projectiles.
• Kamuriyuki- This is a fast lunging move that hits the opponent low. It's difficult to predict and when it hits, it can lead to a lot of damage. It is especially useful as a counter and leads to some devastating combos
• Shizuriyuki- Another anti-air. It has a follow-up that acts as an overhead and can lead to a counter. 
• Bloodsucking Universe- This is Nagoriyuki's command grab. Apart from all the great options, it provides by its very nature, it also has an additional advantage in this it depletes the blood gauge meaning that the pressure is reset. 

BNB Combos

Understandably, this is usually the favorite bit for a lot of players as they always want to learn new combos. Fortunately, Nago has a tonne of those. Below are some of the best you should pay attention to.

• 2S ,214H, 623H, 236K , cS, S S S, cS
• 2S ,214H, 623H, 236K , 2K, cS, S S S, cS
• 2S ,214H, 623H, 236K , cS, S S S, 6H
• 2S ,214H, 623H, 236K ,2K cS, S S S, 6H
• 5K, 214H, 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, cS, 6H
• 5K, 214H, 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, 5P, 5P, 6H
• 5K, 214H, 623, 236K, cS, S, S, cS, 6H
• 2K, 214H, 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, S, 6H
• 623H, 236K, cS, cS, S, S, S, 2S
• 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, S
• 623H, 236(4)K, 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, 5P, 6H
• 623H/H, 214H, 623H, 236K, cS, S, S, S, cS
• 623H, 236K, cS, 5D, 5K, 236S, cS, 6H, 6H

Nagoriyuki's Gameplan

Nago thrives on pressuring the opponent and keeping them on the defensive. So, if you wish to play Nago and utilize him properly, you should focus on pressuring the opponent and creating frame traps. Also, practice your reactions to wake-up options. Some people will wake up with a throw, others with a button, and others still with super. With Nago, you have answers to all these scenarios and you only need to practice to prepare for them.

Nagoriyuki's Strengths and Weaknesses

Nagoriyuki is a powerful character who has some pretty nasty damage which makes him one of those characters who can end a round off the back of about two combos. 

Some of his strengths include

• High damage that leaves the opponent reeling
• Unpredictable pressure which forces your foe to guess a lot
• Great health which makes him tanky and difficult to defeat

As for his weaknesses, Nagoriyuki has quite a few and they can make him problematic to newer players.

• He doesn't have a forward dash, or double jump
• His air-to-air options aren't very good
• His bigger normals are slow and susceptible to punishment
• You must constantly keep an eye on his blood gauge to ensure it doesn't go out of control

Nagoriyuki Guide Conclusion

Nagoriyuki is a big guy who deals big damage and has big health. This makes him one of the better characters in the game. Conversely, he does take a bit of skill to master and understand. But, if you can get the hang of some of his idiosyncrasies, you will be an unstoppable force. We hope this guide has helped, for more in-depth guides for your favorite characters, check here.