3B.) General Gameplay
Pokes
Teddie has some of the best pokes in the game. The infamous 5B has incredible range, along with being dash cancelable afterwards. His 5A, frame data outwithstanding, can easily be argued to be the best in the game. Not only is the hitbox large, but Teddie moves slightly forward with it, meaning that it has good range, along with being comboable into 5AA>5AAA at any range.
J.A is his best air to ground poke. It has a large and long active hitbox, very good when used after an IAD or a short hop. 5C is another good move that can be done in the air or on the ground. Not only does it have a large hitbox, but it auto-corrects based on the direction the opponent is, not the direction that Teddie is facing.
Mixup
Teddie's high low mixup is pretty poor. j.A and j.B aren't overheads, so Teddie's only overhead is his All Out Attack. His AOA is useful, but not for it's overhead properties. His only lows are 2A and Sweep, though they are good normals. Teddie's mixup lies in his crossup potential and unblockables. There's a dedicated section for unblockables below.
For crossups, Teddie can;
- IAD j.B. Be sure to control the direction Teddie bounces after the j.B to continue the combo.
- (Close) All-Out Attack. You can (and should) use the AOA to crossup the opponent, which only works if you're very close to them.
- Quick Escape Through Items. You can quick escape just before an item hits so they get hit from behind.
Teddie's throw is also extremely good and should be used often as a mixup tool, especially in the corner. Tick Throws are very strong on Teddie.
Oki
Generally, your best oki tools are any of your damaging items. Some are better than others in certain situations, with varying amount of blockstun. Use these oppotunities to mixup the opponent.
Apart from that, 2A is a good, subtle move to pressure the opponent with that can go into a tick throw or IAD crossup. Dash Up AOA is good for crossing up the opponent on wake up and counters many R-Actions that don't activate from behind. If you're worried about a particularly strong R-Action, like Mitsuru's, you can hit them with the tip of the 5B to bait it. You can than 5C for more pressure or go for an item.
Defense
Teddie's R-Action is very good, but unreliable. The move activates very quickly and causes rage state, meaning they can't block. On top of all that, it puts you behind the opponent, perfect for using when you're in the corner. However, long range moves will sometimes activate your R-Action but not cause the opponent to become dazed, meaning they can freely punish. Don't forget that this move costs Red Health, and if you get hit, you'll take more damage that you would have if you just took the hit.
2B is your general anti-air. It has a large hitbox but is obviously unsafe on whiff. 2C is good against high air dashes and air mobility in general. Use your sweep to stop dash-ins and to get some space between you can the opponent. Finally, don't forget about the universal Guard Action (6A+B), it is very useful and hard for the opponent to counter, but it does take 50 meter.
3C.) Unblockables
I. Tomahawk Tech Trap
How: This setup requires you to hit the opponent in the air with Teddie's j.236236C/D. When you touch the ground, do 214214C/D (whichever side of the screen your opponent is closest to) to hit them after they tech.
Cost and Situation: Requires 100 Meter, can be done from any Air combo.
Counters: To counter this, the opponent can simply delay their tech so they take the unblockable as a combo extender, meaning it will do much less damage. In order to get around this, use the other version of the unblockable (i.e, the one that appears furthest away from the opponent) in order to pick them up off the ground OTG for a full clean hit. After that, this setup basically becomes a 50-50 mixup on which unblockable you do, and wherever the opponent techs or not.
II. Tomahawk Explosion Block Trap
How: Hold the C/D button after a blocked tomahawk super so the missile continues travelling, if you can position it correctly, so the opponent has to block the explosion on the ground, then you can do the unblockable while they're blocking the explosion.
Cost and Situation: 100 Meter. This can be done anywhere, put requires the missile to travel directly at the opponent. Can be done via zoning or after a blocked j.a/j.b.
Counters: The counter to this is simply to be forced to block the second part of the missile, since it is usually avoidable or punishable. If that happens, the best option is to let yourself get hit by the tomahawk explosion so the unblockable does reduced damage if it hits. Though you don't have an answer to this as a Teddie player, this setup has more guaranteed damage than the first if you manage to pull it off well enough.
