Shining Gundam

Model Number: GF13-017N	Pilot: Domon Kasshu
Cost: 2500 Hp: 650 Transform: X Form Change: O

Designed by Rain’s father, Dr. Mikamura, the Shining Gundam contains an Emotion Energy System. If provided enough emotional input, the Shining Gundam powers up significantly, entering its Super Mode. Thanks to its Mobile Trace system the Shining Gundam could be fully controlled by its pilot, Domon Kasshu, as if it was an extension of his own body. This Gundam was the proud representative of Neo Japan in the 13th Gundam Fight.

Normal Mode Ability Summary

Ranged	Armament	Ammo	DMG	Notes
Main	Shining Shot	4	65	Vernier shot, below-average damage
Charged Melee	Super Mode Activation	100	–	Activates Super Mode when the gauge is filled up
Sub	Vulcan	60	4~73	Head Vulcans, max 20 bullets per button hold
Special Shooting	Kowloon Gundam Assist (Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan)	2	110	5AC: Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan, strong tracking but slow travel speed
Special Shooting	Kowloon Gundam Assist (Kowloon Cloth)	2	75	*AC: Kowloon Cloth. A whip attack similar to Master Gundam’s 4/6AB

Melee	Input	DMG	Notes
5B	5BBBBB	221	Untechable on the last hit
	5B~8B	129	Sends opponents flying up
	5BB~8B	169
	5BBB~8B	200
	5B~4/6B	211	High Down Value
	5BB~4/6B	230
	5BBB~4/6B	245
	5B~2B	211	High Damage
	5BB~2B	231
	5BBB~2B	251
8B	8BBB	175	Dust Down, the opponent falls slowly after
	8B~8B	134	Same as 5B
	8BB~8B	178	Same as 5B
	8B~2B	153	Piledriver, Forced down
	8BB~2B	193	Piledriver, Forced down
4/6B	4/6BBBB	193
	4/6B~8B	124	Same as 5B
	4/6BB~8B	164	Same as 5B
	4/6B~2B	143	Same as 8B
	4/6BB~2B	179	Same as 8B
2B	2B	80	Turns around to perform a stab, has super armor
CC8B	CC8B	85	1-2 punch combo, sends the opponent flying up
BC	BC	112-154	Shining Finger, Mash B for more damage

Cancel Routes:

Last hit of 5B , last hit of 4/6B or any melee that doesn’t have a fourth input: BC

Super Mode Ability Summary

Ranged	Armament	Ammo	DMG	Notes
Main	Shining Shot	4	65	Vernier shot, below-average damage, same as Normal Mode
Charged Main	Shining Finger (Focused)	–	22~196	Gerobi
Sub	Vulcan	60	4~73	Head Vulcans, max 20 bullets per hold, same as Normal Mode
Special Shooting	Dash	2	–	High-speed dash, curves slightly when input with 4 or 6

Melee	Input	DMG	Notes
5B	5BBB	240	High damage
8B	8BBB	214	Long-reaching hitbox
4/6	4/6BB	142
2B	2B	95	Beam Saber Swipe
CC8B	CC8B	100	Sends opponent flying up
CSB	CSB	181	Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan
BC	BC	200~242	Shining Finger (Point Blank Gerobi), can be mashed for more damage
Burst Attack	ABC	234(F)/195(E & S)	Single slash, high damage

Cancel Routes:

Main, Any Melee(except CSB) > AC

AC > A, AC, Any Melee, BC

Any 5B, any 8B, any 4/6b, CC8B > BC

Overview

Shining Gundam has one of the best DPS outputs in the game, with an explosive power that can end a Mobile Suit’s whole career in under 10 seconds. However, it’s an uphill battle finding the opportunities to get in and deal this amazing damage. Simply put, it’s a high-risk, high-reward melee unit.

Compared to 2000 cost Mobile Fighters like Dragon and Nobel, Shining has poorer general mobility, and compared to the 2500 cost melee combatant GP02 it has less HP. However it does have pretty good shooting moves for a Mobile Fighter, such as a beam projectile as well as its high-tracking Kowloon assist. Aside from the fact that its Main causes vernier, it’s a pretty good shot overall.

In Normal mode, even your melee attacks are not at the level you’d expect from a Mobile Fighter. Its overall standard both in damage and priority are only all-rounder class. You do however have a wide variety of cancel routes to choose from that best fit your needs.

E Burst is a huge bane on Shining’s existence. Powering itself up and hitting an enemy only to have it escape further damage is a frequent happening, and any time taken away from your limited powered-up state is a huge waste. For this reason, it would be accurate to say that Shining is not a character that fits well in the current meta.

Instead of thinking of Shining as a character that makes comebacks in Super Mode, you should play it as a character that can exert pressure on the opponent at all times, which creates value for your team.

Super Mode tends to be available when you have around 350HP. Once activated, you have only 16 seconds to get your damage in and take full advantage of the powered-up state.

In this mode, all of your attacks utilize the Shining Finger Sword. The sword is very long and has incredible reach, and your 8B easily catches enemies running away from you. You also deal crazy damage in this mode, dealing around 360 damage with a simple combo during Burst.

Super Mode also comes with a long-charging but useful gerobi, and a dash with tracking cut at the start. However rather than directly approaching enemies, Shining does its best work when launching sneak attacks, especially during Burst. Rather than forcing your way through the front door, it’s better to look for the right timing to attack and get your damage in.

Activating your Burst while Super Mode is active will pause the gauge’s consumption, and any damage you take will refill the gauge. After your Burst ends you will return to Normal mode. For these reasons, the standard game plan for Shining is as follows: activate Super Mode > burst either when Super Mode ends or while it is active > refill the gauge > activate Super Mode again.

However, taking into account factors like your enemies using E Burst, your partner’s cost, and Shining’s overall playstyle, this isn’t always possible.

Still, as long as your hand glows with an awesome power, making a big damage play can always put you back in the game. Force your foes to take your love, anger, and all of your sorrow!

Normal Mode Ability Details

Ranged Weapons

Main: Shining Shot

Shining stands in place to fire a beam from its gauntlets.

The tracking on this move is the same as with a standard BR shot, the projectile speed is fast-traveling and also thick. You also inherit a little bit of inertia prior to firing. This is a rather good projectile overall but it is not suited for drawn-out ranged battles due to the forced vernier. This reloads in 4.5 seconds on empty, so if you have only one shot left be sure to use it up to get your reload started.

You can also fire this while grounded, allowing for Zusakyan or cancel into a Guard to reduce the recovery.

Charged Melee: Super Mode Activation

Shining deploys the Shining Finger Sword and switches to Super Mode. 2-second charge time.

The gauge increases slowly over time, and is also charged by dealing damage or receiving damage. The fastest way to fill the gauge is receiving damage, but it’s also bad because Shining will have really low health when activating Super Mode.

Activating Super Mode doesn’t recover ammunition, and your Main and Sub ammo are shared between forms.

Upon activating Super Mode, Shining Gundam will pull out the Shining Finger Sword with the inscription “G.GUNDAM”, and then swings the sword around a bit, recreating the iconic opening sequence of G Gundam. However, the sword-swinging cannot actually hit anyone. Therefore, it’s best to cancel that animation with a BD immediately.

Sub: Vulcan

Vulcans fired from the head. 1 click fires 4 shots, and a maximum of 20 shots can be fired by holding the button down. Reloads in 5 seconds on empty.

Although it’s possible to shoot this while moving, the shooting angle is limited and it can be difficult to adjust the shooting angle while in motion, especially while ground-running

If you follow up from 2 shots of Main, you can down an opponent with a few vulcan shots for a quick knockdown. Worst case scenario if you don’t get the hard knockdown you can at least get a few shots in for a bit of extra damage. While this is not a move you should ignore, it’s also not something you should be relying on often.

Special Shooting: Kowloon Gundam Assist

Summons the Undefeated of the East’s Kowloon Gundam. Attack changes with the input of lever. This reloads on empty over 18 seconds. While the reload seems a little long the effectiveness of the assist makes up for it somewhat. This assist has enough HP to tank 1 BR and will get destroyed by the next hit quite easily.

Before entering Super Mode, it is recommended that you expend all of your AC ammo, otherwise it becomes a huge waste. Do note that Kowloon can’t be summoned in Super Mode. However, Kowloon will be immediately reloaded upon changing back to Normal Mode.

-5AC: Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan

Shining pushes the Kowloon Gundam who dashes at the enemy with its signature Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan attack.

On hit the enemy will be stunned for a short duration before exploding and getting launched upwards. Kowloon Gundam also pulls a cool pose. Even if the opponent does not get stunned due to super armor or other phenomenons, it will still cause an explosion after a fixed period of time.

As a melee assist, Kowloon travels very slowly but has amazing tracking. As long as the tracking is not cut off by a step or other moves, Kowloon will continue to track the enemy ferociously. Don’t look down on it just because it travels slow, it can even turn over 180-degrees to chase the opponent. It’s best that you wait for the opponent to explode and fly upwards before following up with a combo, as the explosion might mess up your combo if you attack the enemy too early. However you can still do a 5B combo on the stunned target, and your 5B string will be able to chase the target after it gets launched from the explosion.

If you do not cancel out of this move, Shining will perform a “complete” version of this move with additional visual flair and the launching animation. The face on the assist will be changed from Kowloon Gundam to Undefeated of the East’s face. If launched this way, Kowloon will dash quicker than normal. You can choose to use this version of the move if your opponents are not looking at you, otherwise you are liable to get hit during the additional animation time.

-*AC: Kowloon Cloth (Whip)

Kowloon Gundam appears on the left side of Shining and whips with its Kowloon Cloth. The attack direction is fixed to whipping from right to left.

The attack itself is fast, even faster than Master Gundam’s 4/6AB.

If it hits an opponent, the opponent will be pushed away with Untechable Down. In most situations it is not possible to follow up afterwards. This can be used as for okizeme or in self defense situations. However, the returns off this move are not fantastic and when compared to the potential value you’ll get off hitting a 5AC this pales in comparison. This doesn’t mean that you should not use this move, just that you should only use it in dire situations (being chased by a superior melee unit, or if you’re certain it will hit).

Melee Set

Unfortunately, Shining’s Normal mode melee capabilities are only average, at about the level you’d expect of an all-rounder unit. This is especially true of its damage potential, as its very hard to deal good damage in this form even with long combos. However, melee attacks charge your Super Mode gauge very quickly, so it’s advised to go for a melee combo wherever possible.

5B: Barehanded Combo

A 5-stage combo ending with a kungfu-style shoulder tackle (Tetsuzanko, aka Iron Mountain Lean).

There is a forced camera change on the 4th stage. If you perform this move while grounded, Shining will perform Dempsey Roll-like weaving while closing in. If timed right, you can dodge smaller attacks like BR shots.

The first hit’s startup is good, but the dash-in speed and tracking aren’t good enough. Because of that, 5B tends to lose in priority against melee units

Therefore, this melee is best used only when you are sure you can land a hit.

5B, 8B, or 4/6B~8B: Slash-through

A slash that leaves the opponent in an untechable state.

Upon slashing, Shining will store the Beam Saber back at its waist and fall towards the ground. This is mainly used for a quick takedown and running away.

5B~4/6B: Left Hook > Right Fist > Counter-Clockwise Kick

A 3-stage derivative that makes Shining circle to the side before continuing with its combo.

If this move is derived from the first stage, there is a delay in the follow up of this move. But usually, it will down the opponent and send the opponent flying.

Take note that there is no way to follow up after dealing the last hit, so it is somewhat difficult to utilize fully.

5BBB~2B: 100 Fists

Shining stops in place to punch the opponent rapidly. This move can be finished with just one input of 2B.

This move is a reproduction of the scene where Master Gundam was overwhelmed immediately after Domon activates True Super Mode by Meikyo Shisui (Serene Sate of Mind for English Dub) in Episode 23. However, interestingly enough, this move can’t be used when Super Mode is activated. For the time being, it is possible to reproduce that scene by entering this melee and activating Burst.

Although it is a combo that can hit really hard for Shining Normal Mode, use this only if you’re certain your combo won’t get cut.

8BB: Left Straight>Backward Kick>Backward Kick

A three-stage combo that connects 2 kicks from a straight punch.

Similarly to the 5B, when this move is done on the ground, Shining will approach the opponent while weaving with a dempsy.

The startup speed on this attack is excellent. In addition, the attack hitbox of the first hit is quite wide and can occasionally clip opponents who sidestep. Although the combo is fast, the trajectory of the rush is too straight so it is not suitable for rainbow step wars. It’s also difficult to cleanly cancel out of it to Main, as the Main will cause vernier.

8BB~2B: Piledriver

Grabs the enemy and piledrives it into the ground.

This move has high damage for a single hit, and it causes a Forced Down even if it’s derived from the first stage of the combo. Although there is no landing property upon finishing the move, it brings Shining back to the ground immediately. Therefore it’s best to utilize it when ending a combo at a high altitude.

4/6B: Slash > Sweep Slash > Kick up > Kick away

A four-stage melee combo. Unlike 5B and 8B, the Dempsey Roll weave is not performed when dashing at the enemy, even if Shining uses this move on the ground. The dash-in speed and proration on this move are quite excellent, making it suitable for waging rainbow step wars during Normal Mode.

As this move has more reach than a punch, it is the main go-to melee that is used for poking the opponent whenever a chance is given. However, do not rely solely on this move alone. Read the opponent, and always keep in mind Main and 2B. In the extreme close range, 5B and 8B are better options because of their faster startup time.

This attack tempo is fast, and Shining moves fluidly up and down from the third hit, so the cut resistance of the entire attack is not so bad. Do note that it’s almost impossible to link into a BC after the third stage. You can cancel into the ~8B or ~2B derivatives from this move.

2B: Surprise Stab

Shining stands in place, and stabs the Beam Saber backwards. This move is a reproduction of the scene where the head of Neo Cuba Arachno Gundam was destroyed in Episode 4. This move has fast start up and great muzzle correction. If used in green lock, Shining will simply stab backwards from whichever direction he’s facing. Stuns on hit.

If this move lands, it can be linked to BC. There is super armor immediately before the Beam Saber activates, but the window is really small and very hard to take advantage of consistently. To explain the use of this move in simple terms, it’s an irregular counter. The sole purpose of this move is so Shining has a form of self-defense even if the opponent has a Pressure attack.

CC8BB: Left Punch> Right Punch

A one-input, two-hit melee combo which launches the opponent upwards on the last hit.

This attack has excellent dash-in speed and good damage proration. You can cancel this into BC, but take note that you should delay the input slightly for it to connect.

BC: Shining Finger

The original Shining Finger. Shining grasps the opponent’s head like in the final battle against Master Gundam. During the animation, Shining’s face cover opens up and Shining will enter Battle Mode.

As with other finger-type moves, additional damage can be applied by mashing the melee button upon a successful grab. Despite being the first ever “finger” user, there is no super armor, shooting barrier, nor additional derivatives available. Additionally, this only causes a normal down. If you do this move in Overheat you can get punished by the opponent if they tech and retaliate.

Thankfully, this move rushes forward while charging up like Master Gundam thus it has good movement speed on the dash-in. The boost efficiency of this move is also not bad, and it can be used as a movement option. Since it has good vertical tracking, it can catch enemies that are escaping upwards.

Shining Finger is useful in combos thanks to its good down value. However, since there is no available derivative like God Gundam’s Heat End, linking one full Shining Finger into another is impossible unless you’re pushsing the target against a terrain or at a certain height. Although this does poor damage for what it is, it does charge your Super Mode gauge quickly.

If you choose to Burst before the final the explosion, it will be treated Shining Finger in Burst mode and you will perform the same zero-range Shining Finger gerobi at the final stage.

Super Mode Ability Details

Ranged Weapons

Main: Shining Shot

Same as Normal Mode. Shining stands in place to fire a beam from its gauntlets.

You can also fire this while grounded, allowing for Zusakyan or cancel into a Guard to reduce the recovery.

Charged Main: Shining Finger (Gerobi)

2-second charge time. Unlike Nobel Gundam and Rising Gundam’s CSA gerobis, this gerobi works like a standard long-range gerobi. Unlike Main this cannot be performed grounded and Shining will float off the ground to perform this move if you use this. On a happier note, you do inherit a bit of inertia and slide prior to firing this. Startup wise this is slightly slow, however this is made up for with good projectile speed and muzzle correction. This attack travels full map as well, which is rare for a Mobile Fighter.

However, this doesn’t do as much damage as you would expect, and you really don’t want to be spending your precious power up time charging this attack and looking for opportunities to land it. However this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it at all—it does have its moments, such as hitting enemies that run away from Shining by boosting upwards. This move is also useful for dealing damage and forcing your opponent to pop his E Burst, which is better than him popping it during your melee combo.

Sub: Vulcan

Same as Normal Mode. Vulcans fired from the head. 1 click fires 4 shots, and a maximum of 20 shots can be fired by holding the button down. Reloads in 5 seconds on empty.

Although it’s possible to shoot this while moving, the shooting angle is limited and it can be difficult to adjust the shooting angle while in motion, especially while ground-running

Special Shooting: Dash

Shining rapidly dashes towards the opponent while kicking up a sandstorm, can be Rainbow Stepped.

The distance covered and travel speed is excellent, although each dash comes on a 4-second continuous reload. This consumes little boost and can be used even in Overheat. Furthermore, unlike God, any melee canceled from this dash will properly re-track the enemy. You can cancel into this move from Main or any melee hits, and you can also cancel this into your Main and melee attacks (except CC8B). You can also execute a continuous dash by canceling AC into AC, which is a very quick way to close the distance on an opponent.

As explained earlier, one of Shining’s standard game plans is to enter Super Mode then Burst in the middle of the powerup. If you do so, you can dash up to 4 times in a row. This will allow you to instantly travel from one end of the map to the other, and can be a nasty surprise against enemies who think they are safe from you and are not looking at you.

You can also input 4/6 or 2 together with AC to change your dash pattern, both of which cut tracking on activation. 4/6AC makes Shining dash at the opponent in a diagonal path, allowing it to dodge certain shots when timed right. 2AC will make you dash backwards. You can guard pretty quickly after the dash, and you can use this tactic as a self defense measure when in Overheat.

While this comes on a reload, the reload is pretty quick so you don’t have to worry about it too much.

Melee Set

*Note: SFS = Shining Finger Sword.

5BBB: Men>Men>Men

A three-stage melee combo where Shining hits the enemy on the head with the SFS. The third hit has a slight delay, but Shining will move forward quite a lot during this combo.

This Shining’s most damaging melee combo so it’s preferred to follow up with 5BBB from the Main or whenever a melee hits. The reach on this move is ridiculous, and just as it looks this move is very good at hitting enemies above you thanks to its large vertical hitbox. However, the startup on this is slow, and the rush speed and priority are not that good, so this is not suitable for clashing against other melee attacks.

To put it simply, this is strong against enemies that are running from you, but bad against enemies that choose to face you head-on. The first and second stage cause heavy stagger on hit, and the third hit leads to a Bounce Down.

8BBB: Tsuki>Tsuki>Tsuki

A three-hit stab combo that is the center of Super Mode’s entire offense. If you’re not sure which melee attack to use in a given situation, just pick this one. As the sword is already held in front of Shining during the dash-in animation, both the priority and hitbox on this attack are excellent.

Like the 5B, the hitbox on this is larger to the left and right than it actually looks, so it’s hard for the opponent to accurately grasp the right timing and sidestep. The first two hits also cause heavy stagger so it’s easy to follow up on with whatever you want. On the other hand, this differs from 5B whereby the 3rd hit has no delay, and the last hit launches the enemy slightly. Shining moves forward a lot while stabbing which makes this combo difficult to cut.

This is great when canceled from the AC dash.

As strong as 8B sounds, it does less damage than your 5B combo, so if this is all you use in the non-Burst Super Mode you will be missing out on dealing real big damage. The last hit also causes a Regular Down, so if you do this combo high up in the air and end up in Overheat the opponent can tech and punish you. In these cases, you can use AC as a cancel to extend the combo and score a hard knockdown. Although it is possible to cancel into Shining Finger, you won’t connect when canceling from the last hit unless the opponent hits a wall.

4/6BB: Dou > Dou

For the non-Kendo practitioners and lesser weebs, Men, Tsuki, and Dou are Kendo terms. Men is a hit to the head, Tsuki is a stab, and Dou is a hit to the body. Just a little fun trivia for you.

This is a two-hit melee combo where Shining slashes the opponent twice horizontally. The dash-in speed and wraparound curve are average, but startup-wise this attack ranks lowest in the entire MBON cast. This move also does not reach very far. You will never win a rainbow step war with this move against a skilled opponent.

After a sidestep, it’s best you use 5B or 8B and avoid using this move. You can still use this as a combo part because its the only 2-hit combo in Super Mode’s arsenal, and you can also make use of the wraparound curve when dashing in. Also note that when in Burst the startup of this attack becomes average, so you can use it as a counter after sidestepping an enemy attack. The return on hitting this attack is still rather low compared to your other options, though. The last hit also causes Dust Down so you can easily link into your Burst Attack from this.

2B: Swipe

A single-slash saber swipe that is similar to Providence’s 2B. Both the hitbox and startup are superior to the aforementioned move, but the hitbox length is still shorter than that of a whip weapon used by the likes of X1 Kai or Epyon. Still, it is excellent for a surprise attack and following up with a combo. However, as it can only be swung from left to right, it is hard to hit enemies coming from the right.

This move can be used well for self-defense when getting pushed back as Super Mode. This is especially useful for going against opponents with abnormal melee startups or strong melee priorities, like Death Scythe Hell EW.

CC8B: Rising Slash

A single slash melee where Shining swings the SFS upwards, launching the opponent. This move is the longest reach out of all the Super Mode melee attacks. This easily catches enemies escaping vertically. However, it has a slow startup and its hitbox is not as deceptively-large as 5B and 8B so it can be sidestepped and evaded. Also, you cannot cancel into this from AC, which makes it something you will probably pass on using in favor of 5B.

This is still useful as a combo part for big damage. This is the best follow up option after hitting two Main shots. During Burst, A>>CC8B>ABC is a quick 280 damage combo.

CSB: Choukyuu Haou Den Eidan

1.5-second charge time. Although Shining has this move in Normal Mode in GVG Next Plus, Shining Gundam in this game can only use this after entering Super Mode.

This is the almost the exact same move as God Gundam’s CSB, but with a shorter charge time. Still, because of the short powerup duration Super Mode has, you don’t want to waste any time charging anything in most situations. However this can still be used to engage units with super armor.

BC: Shining Finger (Point-Blank Gerobi)

This is almost the same move as the Normal mode’s , but with super armor on startup and a gerobi finisher at the end. This move is a reproduction of the Shining Finger grab > Point-Blank Gerobi on Master Gundam in Episode 15 of G Gundam.

This causes a hard knockdown even when hit raw. This has poor damage proration, but if you cancel out of this move in the middle of it you can rack up further damage. The gerobi at the end can hit other units that wander into its path as well.

Because the beam is a projectile, it does not get powered up by Fighting Burst. For this reason, using this move in F Burst is not recommended. However, this attack can be useful for removing an enemy’s shooting barrier or ABC mantle.

Burst Attack

Shining Finger Sword [Maximum Output]

“SHINING FINGER SWOOOOORD!!”

Shining leaps upwards and somersaults while slashing with its gigantic Shining Finger Sword. This is basically a slightly slower version of Epyon’s Burst Attack.

What’s different from Epyon is that Shining can’t cancel into this from its melee, and Shining falls to the ground at the same time after swinging the SFS downwards. Does not have Landing Property. Step forward after other melee attacks to land this Burst Attack reliably.

Overall this is a very good Burst Attack that is quick, and deals high single-hit damage.

Recommended Combos (Normal Mode)

Ranged Weapons
Input	DMG	Notes
A>>A>>A	147
A>>5BBBB	206
A>>5BBB4/6BB	214
A>>5BBB2B	235	Can be followed up with Shining Finger for extra damage
Melee
5BB8B>4/6B2B	227	Fast down combo
5BBB2B>BC	270	Normal mode’s main damage combo, depending on BC input, can hit 280.
4/6B8B>4/6B2B	228	Fast down combo
5BBB2B(3)> BC>5BBB2B(3)>BC>BC	324	First 2 BC should be mashed but no explosion, only do the explosion on the final BC

Recommended Combos (Super Mode)

Ranged Weapons
Input	DMG	Notes
A>>5BBB	231
Melee
5BBB->BC	290
8B>5BBB	259	Good priority on the first hit
2B>5BBB	274
CC8B>BBB	279
F Burst Only Combos
CC8B>5BBB>ABC	357
5BBB>CC8B>ABC	358
8BB>CC8B>ABC	352

Strategies

During Normal Mode, the Kowloon Gundam Assist (AC) is best used when Shining is being ignored, allowing the assist with that amazing tracking to sneak in and hit the opponent.
Shining relies on its Super Mode to be effective in battle, but the truth of the matter is that there isn’t much you can do in Normal mode. Try and stay close to the enemy and just avoid attacks and look for openings to get hits in. Note that just passively waiting by and doing nothing won’t help you charge your Super Mode gauge, so you do have to get in there and take risks occasionally.
You can still catch landings with your Main (hard to say the same for other Mobile Fighters), and you can follow your partner around and look for opportunities to launch coordinated attacks. Following up after a teammate’s hit can help you build Super Mode gauge.
Even if you do take damage, at least you’ll be charging your Super Mode gauge.
In Normal mode your main goal is to land Main hits to link into melee combos, but against enemies with poor self defense you can try and land raw melee hits.
Against enemies with good melee movesets, 2B can help you win out in tight situations if used right.
The timing at which you activate Super Mode is crucial. Normally it’s good to aim for activating after a hit Main and going into a Super Mode combo, but against enemies with poor anti-melee defense you can activate raw and go straight for a melee combo.
To put things simply, Super Mode is your comeback factor after being terrible in Normal mode.
While you’re typically a burden while in Normal mode, once you go into Super Mode your partner should take on the role of supporting you. All you have to do is hit a good Shining Finger Sword combo and you’re back in the game.
During Super Mode, imagine yourself as a lower cost Epyon. Aim for landings with AC 8B and retreat when necessary. It’s better than dying really fast especially in a 3k 2.5k team setup.
Lastly. Keep calm and maintain that Meikyo Shisui (Serene State of Mind), find the opponent’s opening and punish them with Super Mode’s huge damage!
Shining does best with F Burst, to no one’s surprise.
Shining pairs best with 3000 cost units that have strong defense, like Nu and Reborns. It can also do pretty well with 1500 and 2500 cost partners, but the worst possible partner would be one from the 2000 cost bracket.