Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (detonado)

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Johnny Guide
Version 1.0 by Joshua Vaughn, a.k.a. Mikadok on GameFAQs/GameSpot and
I Kei I on Gaia Online and Shoryuken.com

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Copyright info
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Copyright 2007 Joshua Vaughn

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web
site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.

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Why'd you make this guide?
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From the moment I decided to look into Guilty Gear games and saw Johnny, I was
intrigued by his playstyle. Hope it'll help anyone curious to better understand 
using Johnny.

This guide assumes that the general notations for the GGX2 series is known to
whomever uses it. If you need clarification on any of them, check into other
guides concerning the GGXX games around GameFAQs. It will also cover the 
basics needed for making a solid strategy with him.

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Johnny
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Normals to keep in mind

First and foremost, a note about Johnny's throw. So long as your opponent
doesn't have any Burst meter and doesn't escape your throw attempt,
it's a guaranteed air combo for you, so if you can toss them, tack that extra
damage in there.

6P: One of the best moves in nearly everyone's arsenal. As with everyone else,
Johnny's 6P gives invincibility for his upper body until the point of impact, 
so as such, if you think your opponent may try a quick high or mid strike, 
use this to push through it and nail them. It's also one of Johnny's air combo 
starters, as you can jump cancel it, so if you hit it, go ahead and 
tack on that extra bit of damage. Johnny's, 
however, seems to make for a great anti-air as well.

6K: A quick advance into an upward kick, this move can be used when you want
to close the gap between you and your opponent. It can be FRC'd, but contrary 
to the way it looks, it can't be jump cancelled out of if you connect. 
Be careful about this one, though, because while the advance is quick, 
if your opponent sees it coming, they might be able to grab you
out of it before the kick comes, or before the FRCable frame
comes up. Aside from being able to FRC it, though, it is 
untechable when landed as a Counter Hit.

Standing H: As you've probably seen, Johnny has excellent reach, and his 
standing H makes really good use of it, even serving as a decent anti-air. 
Stick it out every once in a while at the start of rounds to keep your 
opponent on their toes, but don't make a bad habit out of it, as they'll 6P the
hell out of you if they anticipate it. Get used to canceling this into the 
Mist Finer stance, because if this is guarded or misses, it leaves you open.

Crouching H: This low slash comes out fairly quickly, and can stagger on
counter hit. It also pushes Johnny back a small distance each time he does it.
A good move to stick out from time to time, but don't make a habit out of it, 
since in AC, the recovery time on it has been increased slightly. Though it is
only a slight increase, it's more than enough to make a difference in that he
can't even capitalize on the stagger now, so you want to use this to get a bit
of distance between you and your opponent if you feel you can hit it.

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Johnny's Special Moves

Glitter is Gold: 236H

Johnny's coin. First of all, the obvious uses for it. As a projectile, it's
pretty good, as it comes out quickly and has nice recovery to boot, allowing 
you to guard or do pretty much whatever else right after you toss it. 
Also, it comes out at quite an angle, getting over some other projectiles as 
it goes. As you might have guessed by this point, they're also useful 
for combo continuation with the right placement and timing. 
It also powers up your Mist Finer every time you hit with a coin, up 
to level 3, though Mist Finer and its uses will be explained
when that comes around. Another nice thing to keep in mind is that you can 
simply toss a coin to knock out the lag from some of the normals he has that
would otherwise leave you open, like Johnny's 6HS. The biggest downside to
this move, though, is that your coins are limited, so be careful when you use
them.

Bacchus Sigh: 214P

When the mist of the Bacchus Sigh covers an opponent, Johnny's Mist Finers
are unblockable until the mist dissipates, and as such, if you're fighting 
someone that knows what he is capable of, you'll have to rely on setups
and such that will pretty much guarantee that they'll be caught by it.
Be prepared, though, as any opponent that finds out what Johnny is 
capable of through his Mist Finers that is unlucky enough to be caught
by this will play a runaway game until the mist wears off,
if they can. If you can risk it, try to use this when you've knocked down an 
opponent in the corner, preferably from a level 2 Mist Finer, as they can't 
recover from the fall and will have to stand into the mist, 
which can't be guarded against.

Mist Finer: 236P, K or S. (P for high, K for mid and S for low) Hold whichever
button to hold the pose and left and right to move while posing. Double tap
left or right while holding to Mist Dash; press HS while holding to cancel the
move.

Now, I dunno how things work elsewhere, but from my standpoint,
Johnny's Mist Finer is his most important special move. Depending on
which button you press when you use this move, he will slash at a 
different angle between high, middle, or low. What's more, as with the coin,
you can use it to get rid of loads of lag on some of Johnny's normals by 
executing this, then canceling it. To top it off, the slash of the 
Mist Finer can take out projectiles, though you'll need a level 
3 Mist Finer to take out multi-hit ones. 
As has been stated, catching an opponent with a coin will level this move up 
by one level with a max level of 3. Level one Mist Finers are minimal 
damage without much of an effect to them aside from a knockdown, and they
also require more timing since they come out somewhat slowly. Level 2 
Mist Finers in Accent Core have been changed significantly since XX.
The low level 2 Mist Finer lifts your opponent at an angle towards you, 
the high level 2 Mist Finer wallbounces them, and the mid level 2 Mist Finer
causes them to go sliding across the ground. The low and high ones are 
techable, though the low one can be used to set up air combos with the 
proper spacing. 
The Mist loop is still quite possible in Accent Core, but the damage on it has
been toned down significantly, so the use of it this time around depends on 
your usage of coins altogether. When a level 3 Mist Finer is used, Johnny 
slashes nine times extremely quickly, with the general height of his slashes 
corresponding to the button pressed, with the exception of the mid Mist Finer.
Low Mist Finer gives mostly low slashes with a couple mids thrown in, high
Mist Finer gives mostly high slashes with a couple mids thrown in. The Mid 
Mist Finer varies the height of the slashes between high, mid and low. 
The level 3 Mist Finer cannot be recovered from this time around, which means 
that you can air combo someone you happen to hit with a high one after a throw.

Don't make actually doing them a staple. Cancel them from time to time
to throw your opponent off, or as mentioned above, to blow lag from 
normals, but try to keep your opponent on their toes with these. You want
to stay dashing if you hold your Mist Finer stance, it being one of Johnny's 
best mobility options if used well enough, allowing you to dash in and out of 
range of enemy attacks, then retaliating on the spot by releasing the Mist 
Finer or canceling the stance to guard an opponent's assault, then 
counterattack. It goes without saying that you should vary the height when
you actually use them. 
If you can corner your opponent and pressure them a bit, they may try to air 
dash out of it, at which point you can nail them with a high Mist Finer.

Divine Blade/Aerial Divine Blade: 623S, then S/236S in midair, FRCable

When grounded, the Divine Blade is a two-part move that is executed first 
by pressing 623S, which will make Johnny leap forward, then pressing S to do
the actual attack. The timing is tight, seemingly tighter than usual as FRCs 
go, but it can be FRC'd as Johnny takes off if you opt not to actually do the 
Divine Blade. It MUST be done, however, with P, K and HS; attempting to FRC 
with S will result in him doing it. When airborne, 236S will make him do the 
Divine Blade at pretty much whatever height you're at.

In both instances, the attack itself can be FRC'd, which can save you from some
major pain, as Johnny is left open on his descent following this move. I find it
best to use this sparingly, as an occasional mind game. Air dash overhead, 
then drop a Divine Blade on the other side, for example. 
You DO NOT want to use this often in Accent Core. 
It has been nerfed straight to hell, since the leap of the transport doesn't go
as far as it used to, and the actual Divine Blade itself floors 
your opponent now instead of knocking them slightly upward, which used to set
up for some of his more devastating combos.

Killer Joker/Aerial Killer Joker: 421S, then S/214S in midair, FRCable

The Killer Joker, like the Divine Blade is a two-part move that is FRCable,
and also like the Divine Blade, it makes Johnny leap toward his opponent, 
needing another button press to release the actual attack, with this one 
being something akin to a midair Mist Finer. For all intents and purposes, 
this move takes the place of the Divine Blade in combo situations, as it pops
your opponent up into the air if it connects, and what's more, it has quite an 
interesting property to it for air combos, that being that if it's FRC'd or
RC'd during an air combo where you've already utilized a second jump,
a third jump is possible provided you jump cancel an attack like K or S, which
makes some truly impressive combos possible. 
Like the Divine Blade, though, you want to FRC it if you can't hit it, 
because you're basically begging for pain if you don't do so.

Ensenga: 41236H while in midair.

Depending on how it is used, this move could be either one of your most useful,
or your least useful. One thing to keep in mind about it is that the majority 
of Johnny's air combos end with this move.

One thing to know about this attack is that it can be easily "tiger kneed", as
in you can execute it close to the ground by inputting the 41236 motion while 
grounded, then going to 9 and pressing HS as you lift off. So, in short, it'd 
be 412369H. This move has a bit more range than people tend to think, and it 
can hit crouching opponents as well.

The other thing to know about this technique is that when you hit it in midair 
as a combo ender and if you're in close enough, it can net you two hits, the 
first of which will eliminate your opponent's air recovery if you RC it, 
though, depending on your situation, using 50% tension to do just that
may not be worth it.

Jackhound (Force Break): 214D, costs 25% tension

The Jackhound is Johnny's teleport and, if used properly, can be his ace in 
the hole. 
Startup is decent, and it goes a good distance. The biggest problem with 
this move, however, is that you don't recover as quickly upon making contact 
and staggering your opponent to capitalize on it as you used to in Slash, 
meaning that, like the Divine Blade, this technique, too, has been nerfed 
straight to hell. Use it if you're facing an opponent that is fond of tossing
out projectiles, if you feel you can spare the tension. It'll make them think
twice about doing so.

Jackhound Return (Force Break) 236D after Jackhound, costs an extra 25% tension

As the name implies, the Jack Return makes Johnny do a second teleport to the 
side of the opponent that he was originally on, or back to wherever he 
originally stood. This one is best used when you already more or less have 
your opponent on the ropes and you manage to catch the Jackhound. 
Costing 50% tension to do, it goes without saying that it would be used 
sparingly unless you hit the Jackhound in the first place, 
at which point you WANT to use it most of the 
time since it's the quickest follow-up to it, which simultaneously 
means that the opponent may not be on the lookout for it from time to time.

Johnny Special: 632146H

This, I honestly believe, is one of the (if not the) best overdrives in the 
game. It has great reach and can beat out so many other moves, be they normal, 
special, or even other overdrives. The general usage for this move will more 
likely than not be to use it as an anti-air, and while it may work from time to
time, do NOT make a habit of it, as it can be blocked with a faultless defense. 
Unless you can anticipate your opponent attempting an aerial attack, don't 
throw this out on reaction to their being airborne. You'll do nothing but waste
tension as they'll try to bait it out. Instead, try to use this at times when 
peeps try to keep you pressured a bit too much. A rushdown Ky tossing a 
Charged Stun Edge to pin you down as you stand, for example. Provided your 
timing is good enough, even if he's just far enough away to form the CSE 
and keep up a physical attack with a standing S, if your timing is good 
enough, you can nail them outright with this as you wake up.

Joker Trick: 236236H

Instant Kills aren't normally used, but even as far as IK's go, this one has 
to be one of the worst, if not the worst. It's slow to travel and come out, 
blockable, and it has WAY too much lag if it misses, since Johnny will hold 
his arm out until the card leaves the screen, so you're in for a lot of 
punishment if you miss it. 
Avoid it, but if you MUST use it, to show off or whatever, just be 
sure to do it in close and hope that your opponent will just guard it and not 
crouch, as when it's guarded against, Johnny is near immediately able to
move again. Oh, and also, the card will fly right over the heads of the 
shorter characters, like Chipp, regardless of whether they are standing or 
crouching.

The thing you have to keep in mind about Johnny is that if you want to play 
him with a pressure game as your base, you have to be careful, because he 
can't press an offense like that of Chipp's or Millia's. Thanks to the range 
of some of his attacks, the opponent is often pushed away as he attacks. 
He can string together hits while grounded well enough, but if you're going to
go mostly for grounded combos, also keep in mind that you should try to have, 
at least, a level 2 or 3 Mist Finer ready, because while Mist Finers make for 
great combo finishers, level 1 Mist Finers come out too slowly for it to 
connect unless you've dizzied your opponent. The added effect of them 
going into a wallbounce or awkwardly angled wayward flight towards you 
just sets them up for more devastation.

Lastly, the obvious. Some characters will need a bit of variation on combos
because their size will either keep them from being hit by your next move, or 
change their overall positioning in relation to you after being hit by 
certain attacks.

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Combos

Combo-wise, at least while grounded, Johnny doesn't have too much 
going for him in the form of outright chains, like Chipp, Millia or Ky,
for example. 
His combos tend to be a bit more situational at times, but are also more often 
than not more rewarding as well, given he's raised his opponent's guard gauge 
a bit, which is exactly what a Johnny player must push for. Still, he does have
his few chains while grounded.

P-K-S-H-Mist Finer (level 1 or 2, with K): This particular combo is probably 
the only one with the Mist Finer he has where which level Mist Finer you use
doesn't matter much. The level two Mist Finer is still ideal for the combo 
possibilities it provides, perhaps gaining you time to set the Bacchus Sigh, 
given the right circumstances, however, if you plan to use the level 3 
Mist Finer...

P-K-S-H-Mist Finer (level 3, with S): ...then you want to use the low one, 
since the level 3 Mist Finer slashes multiple times and changes height.
With the other two Mist Finers, Johnny will slash high eventually, 
breaking your combo and giving them ample time to guard, but with the low 
level 3 Mist Finer, he'll slash mostly low with a couple mids thrown in,
so your combo won't break up. Of course, if you can anticipate a forward 
recovery, (and if they don't guard) an air throw or tiger kneed Ensenga 
works as a nice interceptor.

P-K-S-2D-Glitter is Gold: A nice way to land a coin without fail.

H(c)-Glitter is Gold-Mist Finer with S, H-Mist Finer with P: As the combo 
indicates, you can nail a coin after an in close H and it will combo, and if 
you're quick enough, you can tack on the level 2 Mist Finer before they 
recover, which will pop them into the air towards you, where you can follow
with H and the high Mist Finer or an air combo if you're spaced well 
enough if you connect. 

Also, 6H can be cancelled into a tiger kneed Ensenga, though this is 
something that's gotta be practiced, as a slip up in timing could result in 
you accidentally letting loose a coin or doing it too slowly, giving them 
time to guard the Ensenga.

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Things to remember about Johnny's air arsenal

S - This attack has great reach and comes out decently fast. By itself, 
it makes Johnny's air-to-air game quite exceptional.

H - This is a great attack to use as a poking strike as you come in, but 
it should almost never be used in an air combo, as it tends to knock an 
enemy downward toward the ground rather quickly. Another thing to 
keep in mind about it is that if you land it as a counter hit, it will stagger 
your opponent, so make use of the time you've got right there.

D - This attack will knock an enemy quite a distance and will wallbounce 
them, making their recovery that much harder so you can continue an 
assault, though sometimes it's nice to let them recover just so you can 
toss 'em right back into the wall after they recover.

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Air combos

Johnny can get a guaranteed air combo out of any throw or a 6P that 
you can land. Keep that in mind and go for it. These next couple are of 
course assuming you're following them from a throw or 6P.

P-K-S-Ensenga: When you're quick enough, both hits of the Ensenga 
will connect on this combo, and in the right situation, RCing after the first
hit can give you more attack opportunities.

P-K-S, double jump, S-H-D-Ensenga: 6P or throw your enemy, then nail 
them with P, K, then S, then after the S, use your second jump to up 
yourself and do the rest.

P-K-S, double jump, S-H-(FRC)214S-(jc)K-S-D-Ensenga: The same as the 
above noted air combo, but the FRC'd Killer Joker thrown in gives you more 
of an opportunity for damage.

First, a couple more notes about his ground offense.

FRCing the first part of the grounded Divine Blade works 
as a nice substitute for his dash, but first off, obviously, it's something you
don't want to make a habit of. 25% tension might be all you need to 
bail you out of a situation later.

While I'm at it, it's possible to pull something of a speed dash with Johnny. 
Doing a Faultless Defense will stop Johnny dead on the spot after a dash and 
get rid of the small bit of recovery you normally have to worry about. If 
you're quick enough, you can go from that Faultless Defense into another dash. 
Definitely something that should be practiced as it could come in handy in the 
right situation. I usually do it by holding whatever two attack buttons and 
QUICKLY inputting 664 repeatedly.

Anyway, another thing to be careful of when FRCing the grounded Divine 
Blade or Killer Joker during takeoff to use as movement are people with good 
anti-air attacks (Volcanic Viper is the first thing to come to most anyone's 
mind.). They'll more likely than not stop whatever you've got planned cold, 
so it might be best sometimes to keep your guard up. Tossing the Divine 
Blade with 236S after FRCing the movement is a good way to stop your 
momentum if you must, as well. Doing the Killer Joker after FRCing the 
initial takeoff can throw a wrench in your opponent's plans as well, since 
you'll go sailing over their head while possibly making contact with the 
attack. 

Lastly, If you need to land a coin at any time and can manage to land an in 
close H, there's your shot....on most characters (more on that farther down). 
His other normals, unfortunately, won't give enough of a stun to toss a coin 
behind it. 6H does, but it also pushes your enemy away, meaning they get that 
second they need to guard against the coin.

Speaking of (c)H-Glitter is Gold stuff, here are a few combos for that 
particular situation. These are assuming, of course, that your Mist Finer 
isn't powered up to level 2 or 3 already, as your level 2 will change to 3, 
and it won't hit correctly.

(c)H-Glitter is Gold-Mist Finer (mid), best done near a corner: Since your Mist
Finer will be level 2, it will send them sliding across the ground where you 
can continue an offensive, since your opponent won't be able to recover unless 
they're withholding a Burst. I myself usually follow with a Killer Joker, which
lifts them into the air out of their sliding animation, setting them up for air
combos. Timing is tight for that, as it has to be done AS SOON as you come 
out of the Mist Finer animation, or else the Killer Joker won't connect since 
they've likely stopped sliding by now, screwing up the whole juggle scenario.

(c)H-Glitter is Gold-2D-Mist Finer (mid): Another nice combo that's a setup 
for a possible juggle scenario, but this time, it's a tad trickier, due to the 
fact that the 2D has to be done as soon as you're able to move again after 
tossing the coin, otherwise they'll be pushed out of your sweep's range.

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The Mist Finer loop
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In Accent Core, this is quite a tricky thing to get down, but it's definitely 
something you want to learn to be able to utilize on a whim, as you can tack
on somewhat decent damage and keep pressure on an opponent even should 
they Burst, since you stay at a nice range during it.

Doing the Mist Finer loop in its most basic form consists of first gaining 
a level 2 Mist Finer, then hitting your opponent with a Mist Finer that puts 
them in a state where you can toss yet another coin and hit them with yet 
another level 2 Mist Finer before they can recover. It has always been great 
for gaining tension, if nothing else, and tacking on damage when need be. 
The Mist Finer loop has changed significantly since XX and Slash, since any 
level 2 Mist Finers that aren't mid ones can be recovered from, and the 
wallbounce was added to his level 2 high Mist Finer. It's still possible to 
do a high Mist Finer Loop on some characters, since the way they fall doesn't 
allow them to recover by the time the next coin hits them, but since it won't 
work on most that way, the most reliable way to do it would be to hit your 
opponent with a mid Mist Finer so that they slide when the both of you
are near a corner. 

When you attack an opponent that's sliding, they take normal damage, so long 
as you can hit them before they stop sliding, so after hitting them with the 
mid level 2 Mist Finer, toss another coin, dash forward as the coin is hitting
them, do another level 2 Mist Finer, toss another coin, do another MF, toss a
coin, dash forward....basically, you repeat this until you're satisfied or
decide to add something else into it, a bit of which will be explained below, 
while staying at a far enough distance so that coins you throw won't miss your
opponent. Since it doesn't do as much damage as before, however, doing it 
until your coins are exhausted is not recommended.

~~Things to do during the Mist Finer Loop~~

As implied, these work well after hitting one or two repetitions of the 
loop as the opponent is sliding, provided you have the tension to capitalize 
on it properly.

Jackhound - This will pop the opponent up a bit off the ground, giving you a 
bit of an opportunity to add on more hits.

Killer Joker(FRC) - This will give you the option to follow up with an air 
combo since the Killer Joker will lift them from the ground. 
I usually land, then hit K-S, double jump, P-K-S-H-Killer Joker(FRC)-K,
double jump, P-K-S-D-Ensenga.

Now, onto other things.

Stuff from 6K - Once you put some pressure onto an 
opponent, you can use this and FRC it to close the distance between the two 
of you and go for a throw. However, should this land as a counter hit, the 
opponent will be sent flying across the screen, and should the two of you be 
near a corner, they'll be stuck against the wall. You can cancel your 6K into a
Mist Finer stance, after which you can MF dash towards them and Mist Finer 
them as they drop from the wall. Needless to say, it's a good setup for the new
variation of the Mist Loop, or other combos you may have in mind.

Divine Blade FRC - As stated earlier, the Divine Blade has been nerfed to all 
hell, which is a shame. It used to be an essential combo tool, but now, since 
it flattens your opponent when it hits instead of popping them up slightly, 
your opponent now has less to fear from being hit by the move. All the same, if
you must toss this out, be certain you FRC it. You may possibly toss another, 
but be sure to FRC that as well, since either way if you hit it or if it's 
blocked, you're coming down defenseless. If you use the Divine Blade Transport,
FRCing it will give you more distance on the leap, at which point you can 
either put up your guard as you come in, launch an attack or two, or throw 
out a Divine Blade or Killer Joker, though if you must toss out either, the 
Killer Joker is recommended, and even using that...

Killer Joker FRC-...can result in trouble if it doesn't hit, since the move 
lifts Johnny higher into the air. However, if it DOES hit, it opens up your 
opponent for combo possibilities, such as some stated earlier, so it can keep 
your opponent on their toes.

Hitting level 3 Mist Finers effectively (sans Bacchus Sigh): These are for 
those times you just so happened to have landed more than one coin and 
want to utilize that level 3 you've got stocked up.

(c)2D-High Mist Finer(high): The high Mist Finer has to be used, as using 
the low will more often than not only net you one hit, and the mid will vary 
its height, causing you to miss some of the attacks. Note that this will NOT 
work on Ky, Venom, or Anji, as their falling animations prevent the Mist Finer
from hitting unless it's the low one, and to waste a level 3 for a hit or two 
would be a shame. :/

P-K-S-Mist Finer (low): This is one that will work on everyone, so long as the
Mist Finer is low. On some characters, you can even throw in H after S and 
still hit it in its entirety.

Throw, Mist Finer (high): Okay, this one might be fairly obvious, but it's 
mentionable because in Accent Core, the opponent CANNOT recover from 
a level 3 Mist Finer. What this means is that once you hit the high level 3 
Mist Finer after a throw, you can air combo them afterward since they'll fall 
near you, whether you're near a corner or not.

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Bacchus Sigh setups and landing Mist Finers afterward

Setups

Level 2 Mist Finer (high) after throwing the opponent - this will make them 
wallbounce back towards you, and whether they choose to recover or not, 
they will fall towards you, so you can make sure they fall into the mist by 
intercepting them in midair if they choose to do so.

An FRC'd ADB

j.D: You can catch them with the Sigh as they wall bounce, though be 
cautious because if they can recover, you're pulling a risk with it.

Mist Finer landing after Bacchus Sigh

The general thing to remember is that once your opponent knows exactly 
what that mist does, they will run away to the best of their ability if they're
caught with it. Just a few things to help prevent their escape, though vary 
what you do, or you'll fall into your opponent's mind game instead.

As stated before, under any circumstances that you get that Mist onto 
them after a knockdown, and you feel you can spare the coins, throw one 
or two to keep them pinned down as they stand while you toss out your 
Mist Finer, but make sure that when you toss your coin(s), you're at a 
reasonable distance, or else you might eat a 6P for your troubles.

If you get the mist onto them while they're cornered, but you need a slight 
moment to recover (like after an FRC'd Aerial Divine Blade) one thing that's 
probably going to click in their heads is "He's right on me, so that Mist 
Finer's gotta be coming." A likely escape plan will be to air dash to the 
other side and try to wait off the mist. Free high Mist Finer right there. Just
be careful of those that like to use overdrives on wake up.

Oh, and speaking of Mist Finers, lastly, if you're able to nail a low level 
2 Mist Finer, you have the chance to nail them with a Johnny Special, 
though compared to some of the other options at times, you might not 
want to do so.

~~Jackhound usage~~

The Jackhound is just as important to Johnny as it was in Slash, even if 
it has been watered down more than a bit and costs 25% tension. If you're
facing an opponent that likes to try to utilize the range of their attacks and
toss projectiles on top of that, the Jackhound is excellent to use to close 
the gap and keep them on their toes, since should Johnny manage to 
vanish, he will pass through the projectile with no worry of being harmed 
while hitting the opponent, provided you're close enough to get behind 
them, and this goes for overdrives as well.

Something of particular note is that the Jackhound will execute faster
should it be done while in the Mist Finer stance, so if at all possible, try
to accustom yourself to doing it from that stance if you have to do it.

At just the right distance, using the Jackhound to make it directly behind 
your opponent is a nice thing at times, too, so long as your opponent 
doesn't happen to Instant Block the Jackhound, which would leave you 
open instead of you having a throw opportunity.

Finally, about the Jack Return. Though it's only advised that you do it
if you can land the initial Jackhound attack, it's worth noting that, though
it isn't made visibly clear by the game, hitting the Jack Return will raise
your Mist Finer level by 1, so it can be a nice substitute for using coins
from time to time.

= = = = = =

To put the pros and cons of Johnny in a nutshell, so long as Johnny has 
coins and tension (tension especially), he has enough options at his 
disposal to hold his own against anyone. Use your coins sparingly. He 
gains tension quickly, which is a good thing, what with the Jackhound and 
the fact that the Johnny Special always has been (and still is) one of the 
best overdrives in the game, beating out other overdrives 
and special moves easily.

= = = = = =

I hope that my guide is helpful. I never claimed to be the authority on 
Johnny, but I like to think that I'm fairly efficient with him personally.

= = = = = = = = =
Special Thanks
= = = = = = = = =

- To my mom, for constantly putting up with my BS.

- To one of my best friends, SharinganPhoenix of Gaia Online, for having the
patience to help me with error checking, with spacing, character lining and 
such. That same thanks also goes out to my good friend, Cooperteam.

- To Weeperofsouls and Darkbadkitty, my "bro" and "sis", for being so
understanding through so much, and for getting me this awesome game
in the first place.

- To all my other friends, for being my encouragement to do this.

- To Sammy Studios and Arc System Works, for making the GG series.