5p

This normal used to be a really good antiair for Millia, as the hitbox was good, it was fast, and easily comboed into itself(watch Kaqn in the 2003 Tougeki finals and see just how much he mashes this move as antiair). In Accent Core the move is slowed down considerably and doesn’t really combo into itself anymore. Because of this, I don’t really recommend using this as antiair anymore.

However, it still sees use in many other ways. In combos, after an S Tandem Top in the corner, Millia can link a 5p afterwards and jump cancel into an air combo. 5p is also very important as a burst bait string in a combo starter. For example, after a throw, Millia can do dash up 2p5por 5pp, and if the opponent bursts and your reaction time is good, you can react to the burst and hold back, and Millia’s 5p will recover fast enough and let you block the burst.  If opponent doesn’t burst, then Millia can jump cancel 5p into an air combo. It also has a use in pressure, as 2s reverse gatlings into 5p, which will usually whiff. 5p has a unique property in which its recovery frames on whiff are cancellable into certain other normals, like 6p. This can be used as a really basic frametrap, and once opponent respects this, she can start doing other things off of 2s5p(whiff), like dash in throw, 5s(f), 2d, or 6h.

5k

At 5 frames of startup, this along with 2 of Millia’s other normals are tied for her fastest starting ground normal. 5k has very bad recovery on whiff, so it’s not a good idea to throw this normal around randomly. 5k is mainly used for pressure and guard sequences, as while it is -10 on block alone, it gatlings into everything important for Millia and is jump cancellable. She can go into an overhead from 5k as 5k gatlings into 6k and 5k can be jump cancelled into a Tigerknee Bad Moon. She can also go into her lows with 2k, 2s, 2d, and 214p off of it, and to make opponent more wary, she can slightly delay cancel the recovery frames of 5k into 2k to give the illusion that she would do an overhead from it. It even gatlings into itself. Probably her most versatile normal in pressure. Against certain characters, it’s a better idea to use 5kk as the starter for aircombo after a throw instead of 5s(c)2h, like Testament.

5s(close)

This move isn’t a very good poke, as the hitbox doesn’t extend very far. It’s mainly used as either combo filler or guard sequences. In combos, 5s combos into 5h, which goes into 2d for a knockdown. 5s also combos into S Tandem Top, which is very useful in the corner. And 5s is also a very common normal to use on a floated opponent to launch for an aircombo, like after a throw or after an opponent has been hit by an H Tandem Top. In pressure, 5s is much more limited than 5k but serves a similar use: she can go low by chaining into 2s or cancelling into 214p, and she can go high by jump cancelling 5s into TK Bad Moon. It’s also a good normal to use to bait bursts with: while the recovery on 5s(c) is bad, it’s jump cancellable and hits twice, so on a grounded or floated opponent, she can do 5s(c) and wait, and if opponent bursts, she can immediately jump and either instant block or airthrow the burst.  If opponent doesn’t burst, then she can go into a combo.

5s(c) has a very annoying property of having a horrible hitbox, as it doesn’t extend as far outwards as the animation of the move suggests. Because of the way Guilty Gear interprets distances(like when deciding whether the close or far version of 5s comes out), sometimes when you will try to gatling into 5s(f) like say from a 2k, the game will do 5s(c) instead and the opponent will recover because of its bad hitbox.

However, while the horizontal distance of the move isn’t too good, the vertical hitbox is good, so it can sometimes be used as antiair when the opponent is right above Millia’s head.  However, the recovery of 5s(c) is extremely terrible so I wouldn’t recommend trying this too often.

5s(far)

This normal is actually Millia’s best poke. It’s very fast at 7 frames of startup, and the range and hitbox of the move is very good. The problem is that most of the time if it hits she will not be able to combo into anything meaningful off of it. 5s(f) has very limited gatling options, as it only gatlings into 2s, 2h, and 5h. It’s also not jump cancellable. Because it’s a far slash, most of the time she will only be able to combo into 5h if this hits, as the proceeding 2d will whiff. In order for the 2d to hit, she will usually need to have had dash momentum beforehand. However, if she has at least 50% meter, Millia can combo 5s(f) into a knockdown at distances close to the corner by hitconfirming into 5h and then Emerald Rain.

5h

Believe it or not, this move is actually 1 frame faster than both of her 5s’s. The first hit has 6 frame startup, and the 2nd hit has 12 frame startup. This move is mainly used as combo filler, as it only gatlings into 2d and is not jump cancellable. The recovery on this move on whiff is horrible, so it’s not a very good poke either. On block, she has very limited options off of it. If the opponent is far enough away, she can cancel 5h into H Tandem Top, which is usually safe if the opponent is far enough and didn’t IB the 5h. At closer distances, she can just gatling a blocked 5h into 2d, which is -1 on block, leaving her safe. This move is notable because it’s the only normal she has that actually combos into 2d(many of her normals gatling into 2d but they won’t actually combo into it).

5d

This is Millia’s worst overhead option, and rarely ever sees use for a number of reasons. It’s also one of the worst standing dusts in the game. First off, the proration on this move is horrible, so even if 5d lands, the followup combo is guaranteed to do very little damage. It is -12 on block, and she can’t gatling or cancel it into anything, so it’s completely unsafe if opponent blocks, and they most likely will because it’s very slow at 25 frames of startup. Millia is in a very low state for some of the frames of animation for this move, but I don’t know if she can really use this to her advantage.

2p

Tied with 2k and 5k as her fastest ground normals at 5f startup, this gatlings into everything pretty much and is +2 on block. However, Millia can’t really take advantage of the +2 on block very much, and 2p has very very little range. In addition, it hits mid, so it’s not used very often as a poke. The main use for 2p is an aircombo starter on a floated opponent, as 2p5p after a throw is a common starter and a standard burst bait string.

2k

One of Millia’s most versatile normals, this gatlings into almost everything, has fast startup at 5f, has a good hitbox, hits low, and is +1 on block. This is probably the move of choice when going for tick throws with Millia. The proration of this move is really bad at 75%, so all combos done off of a 2k will do very little damage. 2kk can be used as a burst bait string when punishing a whiffed move, as 2k recovers fast enough to block bursts.

2s

Another one of Millia’s low hits, this is a bit slower than 2k as it’s 9 frames of startup. This has no proration, meaning that combos done off of 2s will do good damage. 2s has more range than 2k, is jump cancellable, and reverse gatlings into 5p which has applications to pressure. Despite the range of this move, this is not a very good poke as the recovery on whiff is pretty bad. In pressure, this move can be used for high/low mixup, as 2s doesn’t go into any other lows but it’s special cancellable(like all other normals) into 214p, and it’s jump cancellable so she can do TK Bad Moon off of it. She has the 2s5p gatling, and 2s is jump cancellable which allows her to jump or IAD for more options. For combos, 2s combos into S Tandem Top which is useful in the corner, and combos into 2h and 5h which are better outside of the corner.

2h

One of Millia’s more unique moves, 2h is pretty slow at 11 frames of startup, but she’s in a low stance from frame 1-3. The move launches on hit, and is Millia’s primary launcher for use in her aircombos. Most of the time she will be comboing into 2h from 5s, 6p, or 2s. The hitbox of this move makes it great antiair.  However, because of its slow startup, it’s not good to be used as reactionary antiair; rather, it should be anticipatory. It also hits a little bit behind her which can really throw some people off. The move is no longer completely untechable on counterhit; it now just has extra untechable time to it, so if you notice it’s a counterhit, adjust your combo accordingly. It has very limited use outside of combos and antiair, as it only goes into 5d and 2d, but it is jump cancellable so she can safely jump away on block.

2d

Millia’s sweep. This is one of the slowest sweeps in the game at 13f of startup, but she makes up for it(somewhat) with the range of the move. It has great range when used on its own, but its effective range in combos is much shorter. This is because of the way her gatlings work: she can only combo into 2d from 5h, and only 5s, 2s, and 5k(at extremely close distances) go into 5h.  This makes it very difficult for Millia to get knockdowns from ground combos. This is also one of her best pokes, as 2d has foot invincibility, so if it is spaced right at the very tip, it will beat pretty much anything. The recovery on the move on whiff also isn’t that bad and it’s -1 on block. Off of a 2d hitting, she should either go directly into H Tandem Top if very close, cancel into Roll and then H Tandem Top if a bit farther, and at the farthest distances, let 2d recover and then do a dashing H Tandem Top. If she is comboing into 2d near the corner, canceling 2d into Secret Garden is also another good option against certain characters.

6p

Millia’s main antiair attack. This is one of the better antiairs in the game, as it hits twice and has very good upper body invinciblity for the first 12 frames of its startup. It also combos into 5s, 2s, 5h, and 2h. However, the move has horrible recovery, so don’t get too predictable with this move as antiair as it can be baited and punished quite severely. In general, that means don’t throw it out if an aerial opponent still has their double jump or airdash. The move also has a use in ground pressure: 6p staggers on counterhit, allowing Millia enough time to cancel 6p into a roll and then do a combo. This is mainly used off of 2s5p(whiff) gatling, but can also be used to good effect in neutral situations against certain characters, like Slayer.

6k

One of Millia’s primary overhead attacks, it has 20f startup which is pretty average as far as overhead speeds go. However, the first 19 frames of its startup have lower body invincibility, which is very useful against certain characters. This has uses everywhere: in pressure, 5k gatlings into 6k, which is always scary considering the options she has off of that move. 6k is a solid overhead to use in high/low mixup with the Disc/Secret Garden, as it has very good range and it has frame advantage on block and on hit. She can can also combo 6k into S Tandem Top, which is mainly useful in the corner. She can also combo 6k into 214p, which requires her to be very close. 6k can also be super cancelled into Emerald Rain, which is very useful both midscreen and in the corner, and is a very important hitconfirm to learn. 6k can also combo into Lust Shaker, which can then be followed up with FB Longinus into combo in the corner. And finally, since 6k is frame advantage on hit as well, she can link a variety of normals after it, the most important being 5s.

6h

This move does humongous damage, but it has really slow startup at 16 frames and it is just horrible on whiff. It also doesn’t gatling into anything on block, and is only special and super cancellable. The main use for this move is an ender that leads to knockdown in her aircombos, primarily when she does j.d or j.h into pin, and then lands and does 6h for knockdown. Typically after 6h she will either cancel 6h into roll and then set up a disc, or cancel 6h into Secret Garden. If the 6h is done very close to the corner, she can just do 6h into H Tandem Top directly without the roll, which makes the Tandem Top be meaty.

She also has combo enders against certain characters where she can do an aircombo into j.h and then land and 6h directly, but those setups are very specific. 6h also has a use as a gatling from 6p. 6p gatlings into 6h but does not combo into it; however, if it is a counterhit 6p, then it WILL combo into 6h. This is mainly useful when hitting an antiair 6p at the distance where a 2h or 5s followup will whiff the opponent.

6h can also be used as an antijump move in pressure.  Meaning, that if you have a feeling that your opponent is going to try to jump out of pressure, 6h can be used to tag them and bring them back to the ground.  This is mainly useful in the corner, when Millia has pushed herself out a bit when doing a pressure string.

j.p

A very fast air normal at 5 frames of startup, this has a very good hitbox at it is angled downwards. This is very solid air-to-air when the opponent is slightly below Millia. This move does very little damage and the proration is bad, so combos starting from j.p generally don’t deal much. If this hits in the air, she typically chains the j.p into j.kd and then airdashes and goes into a makeshift combo from there(changes depending on the character). On a counterhit j.p she should chain into j.h, as j.h is airdash cancellable and has a fair amount of untechable time so most of the time a full combo can be done afterwards. j.p is also very good air-to-ground, since the move has a downward angle, but it’s a weak attack so it has very little hitstun. Generally if you are coming in for an air-to-ground assault with j.p you should gatling alternate j.p and j.k’s(example airdash j.kpk), trying to end with j.k as it is a level 2 move, with higher hitstun.

j.k

This is Millia’s fastest air normal and fastest normal in general at 4 frames of startup. The fast startup combined with the move’s great hitbox make this one of her best air normals. j.k hits pretty high above her so it’s good to use air-to-air if opponent is slightly above her. If this hits in the air, she should chain it into j.d and go from there. This move also has great application for air-to-ground, as the hitbox is nice and is very good at hitting as a crossup after an airdash. Since Millia has trouble getting knockdowns from random pokes, it is very important to learn the timing of the j.k into 5s/5h link, as doing thatwill ensure that she will get more knockdowns in air-to-ground situations. I find that it helps to delay the j.k in air-to-ground strings, as you can delay cancel j.p to j.k and it will still combo. The big hitbox of j.k also allows her to do fuzzy guard setups on certain characters, which is explained in more detail in the mixups section. Unfortunately j.k prorates a lot, so any combo involving it in the beginning will do low damage.

j.s

Probably Millia’s overall best air-to-ground move, this move is really slow at 10 frames of startup. It has pretty much no use in air-to-air because of the hitbox of the move and its slow startup. Since this is a level 3 move, if j.s connects on a grounded opponent, she should be comboing into 5s most of the time afterwards, sometimes even 5h depending on distance. On groundblock, Millia has many options off of j.s, as the move is airdash cancellable, allowing her to airdash and do more mixups and continue pressure, or to land and go for more mixups and continue pressure. Gatlings into j.p and j.h. Doing a j.s into j.p in air-to-ground strings are good for keeping your opponent guessing if they get used to her airdash cancels in pressure.

j.h

Introduced in Guilty Gear XX Slash, her new j.h is generally considered to be weaker than her old j.h, as this doesn’t hit multiple times and does not give easy knockdowns. However, this move is still pretty good. In terms of hitbox, it is a pretty solid air-to-air for when the opponent is in front of her or slightly above her. In addition, j.h has a good amount of hitstun and it’s airdash cancellable, so if j.h connects she can often do a makeshift combo off of it.

One of the things that make the new version of j.h better than her old helicopter j.h is counterhits! If she gets an air CH with j.h, the opponent then gets sent into an untechable launch, so she has a lot of time to land and then do a combo.  The proration on j.h isn’t bad so the damage should be pretty good too.

The hitbox of this move isn’t that great for air-to-ground unfortunately. However, it floats grounded opponents, so off a CH ground pin, hitting the opponent with a j.h and following up with a standard aircombo is usually the best option for damage. The main use of j.h is in her combos, which will be explained in more detail in the combos section.

j.d

The spear of doom! This move is great as the hitbox is really long and the move is jump and airdash cancellable. The crazy thing is that it used to be even better pre-AC when it caused a wallbounce on counterhit.  In Accent Core it loses the wallbounce property but still causes an untechable knockdown on counterhit.  Usually the knockdown will allow her enough time to run up and set up a disc. Very solid air-to-air, but very bad air-to-ground. The move doesn’t really hit below her, and since it’s a jump dust, it has a lot of landing recovery so many characters can actually dash under this move as she lands and punish her. The other big use of this move is in combos, as it has pretty good untechable time and is airdash cancellable. Read the combos section for more details.

Throw

Millia has one of the shortest range throws in the game, but she makes up for it with the sheer speed of her ground dash. Her ground throw is techable if she does nothing after it, but it allows her ample time to dash up and launch the opponent into an aircombo ending in a knockdown. Her throw is one of the biggest parts of her game, augmenting her already excellent high/low mixup, and allowing her to get a knockdown to reset into another mixup. She can go for throws in a variety of situations too; it all depends on conditioning the opponent and seeing when they’re most willing to block. Another thing to note with her throw is that whenever doing dash throw attempts, always FD brake the dash and then throw. She does not have any special properties on the recovery of her ground dash like some other characters, and FD braking the dash into throw makes run in throw attempts much more harder to react to.

Airthrow

Millia has one of the weaker airthrows in the game, as the range is very small and it sends the opponent flying far away. In addition, depending on distance, sometimes the opponent can airtech the airthrow before they land. In general, after an airthrow she should dash up and set up an H Tandem Top/FB Pretty Maze for mixup, and against certain characters(like Potemkin), it might be a better idea to just do Secret Garden to shut off part of the screen.