A guide to using Giovanna in Guilty Gear Strive

Any fighting game, Guilty Gear Strive included, can be described as a dynamic battle in which opponents take turns against each other to break their defense and deal damage with a variety of attacks.

And every fighting game will have one character whose main gimmick will be to constantly steal the opponent’s turn and confuse them with when it’s safe to attack. In Guilty Gear Strive, that character is Giovanna.

Giovanna is a rushdown character in Guilty Gear Strive that is designed around having extremely safe specials that can be linked easily. She does not have the mobility or speed that other rushdown characters in the game do, but she makes up for it with an offense that will almost always overwhelm the opponent and freeze them in place.

This guide will go into how to use Giovanna in Guilty Gear Strive, her kit, movement and general game plan. Fundamentals and combo routes will not be explained in this guide so make sure to check out other guides as well.

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Guilty Gear Strive: A guide to using Giovanna

Poking at the opponent and bypassing their offense

Giovanna does not have mobility options that come in the form of extra jumps, air dashes or some type of extremely potent command dash. She was designed so that she doesn’t have to rely on unique movement to score a hit, and could instead rely on her extremely fast specials to close in and initiate the offense.

There are three main attacks Giovanna can use to counter-poke and get in range in Guilty Gear Strive:

• Sepultura [214K]
• Trovao [236K]
• Sol Poente [214S]

Sepultura is a long range kick during which Giovanna lunges forward. It is extremely hard to punish on block because of the fast recovery and range.

Trovao is a horizontal flying kick of sorts that isn’t nearly as safe as Sepultura to poke with, but has the unique property of being able to nullify any projectiles in its trajectory. It’s for this reason the best way to get in on projectile spammers.

Sol Poente is an overhead attack during which Giovanna leaps forward and does an axe kick. Besides letting Giovanna move forward like the two moves mentioned above, Sol Poente lets Giovanna avoid certain mid range and low attacks the opponent may perform and thus counter-hit them.

Giovanna’s kit and ridiculous combo potential

The only other special Giovanna has in Guilty Gear Strive is an anti-air attack called Sol Nascente [623S] during which she performs a somersault kick of sorts. It’s not invincible like a Dragon Punch is and cannot be used as a wake-up tool. It should primarily be used as combo fillers, or to punish jumping opponents.

While her kit seems lackluster due to the extremely low number of specials, she has some of the most reliable Slash attacks in Guilty Gear Strive. It’s important to note that Giovanna cannot initiate combos from any of her special moves, even on counter-hits. They should primarily be used to poke, get in range and act as combo tools.

The most reliable way for Giovanna to begin combos in Guilty Gear Strive is with her Slash and Heavy Slash attacks. The former of which tends to be better, especially when close to the opponent. Aside from S & H having extremely good range, there are multiple combo routes from each one of them and the multi-hitting nature of her 6H and f.S make it extremely easy to confirm combos.

From S & H, Giovanna can cancel into any special she desires or use her kicks to make different links. The possibilities, because of this, are huge in number.

Giovanna’s game plan & supers

Use Giovanna’s extremely fast special moves to poke at the opponent and get in range in Guilty Gear Strive. When finally in range, focus on connecting a Slash attack and using it to confirm a full combo. Because opponents tend to neglect her extremely fast recovery, she is very likely to score counter-hits and it is important for the player to make the most out of those counter-hits.

Giovanna has two supers in Guilty Gear Strive:

• Ventania [632146H]
• Tempestade [j. 236236H]

Ventania is Giovanna’s only reversal option, so use it wisely to interrupt offenses or on wake-up. It’s also a very popular combo finisher due to its fast start up.

Tempestade is a high damage, multi-hitting super during which Giovanna does a powerful combo on the opponent. It can only be activated in the air, so there are only two scenarios during which it’s optimal to use it.

• In air combos as a finisher
• On reaction against certain actions the opponent takes when Giovanna jumps up

For more advanced information on Giovanna’s attacks and her combo routes, make sure to check out the Dustloop wiki