Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee

Model Number:RX-0	Pilot: Marida Cruz
Cost: 2500 Hp: 600 Transform: X Form Change: O

The second unit in the Unicorn series. As opposed to the unicorn motif of Unicorn Gundam, Banshee’s motif is that of a lion. During Destroy mode, the V-fin on its head opens up to resemble a lion’s mane.

Unicorn Mode Ability Summary

Ranged	Armament	Ammo	DMG	Notes
Main	Beam Magnum	5	95	Manual Reload when the clip is empty.
Charged Main	Hyper Bazooka	–	90	Fires a missile that does not cause an explosion on contact.
Charged Melee	NT-D System	100	–	Mode change to NT-D.
Sub	Beam Sabers (Throw)	1	8 ~ 36	Throws beam sabers to the left and right of banshee.
Special Shooting	Armed Armor BS (High Output)	1	80	Releases a long beam which stays on the field for a short while. Enemies that come into contact with the beam are stunned.

Melee	Input	DMG	Notes
5B	5BBB	172	A standard 3 hit melee.
	5BB~8B	173	A slash through combo that ends in a spinning down.
8B	8BB	131	Good priority but slow and short reach.
4B	4BBB	174	Fairly long animation.
2B	2B	80	Uppercut. Slow and low priority.
CC8B	CC8B~BB	173	Another standard 3 hit combo.
BC	BC	95	Charges forward. Knocks target upwards while causing a forced down. Can be cancelled into from any melee hit.

Cancel Routes:

A: AB, BC

AB: AC, BC

AC, various melee: BC

CSB: Various BC

Destroy Mode Ability Summary

Ranged	Armament	Ammo	DMG	Notes
Main	Armed Armor BS	5	80	Low ammo count.
Charged Main	Armed Armor BS (Charged)	–	120	Forced down on hit.
Sub	Beam Saber (Throw)	1	9 ~ 41	Throws 2 sets of 2 beam sabers which remain on the map for a short while before disappearing.
Special Shooting	Armed Armor BS (High Output)	1	90	Releases a long beam which stays on the field for a short while.  Enemies that come into contact with the beam are stunned. Lasts longer than Unicorn Mode
Burst Attack	Armed Armor BS (Maximum Output)	–	309(S)/294(F & E)	Input 4/6 to cause the pillars to appear in a horizontal line instead at a set distance forward.

Melee	Input	DMG	Notes
5B	5BBBB	231	Fast, multi hit combo. Good damage.
	5BBB~8B	219	Jumps over enemy while slashing. Good cut resistance
	5B(BB)~A	164~241	Grabs and fires beam point blank, ignores ABC Mantle. Knocks upwards and inflicts forced down status on target.
8B	8BB	150	Bounces on last hit leaving them in an untechable state. Useful when you need a quick down.
4B	4BBB	176	Very fast hits, good starter that can be cancelled into better moves.
	4BB~8BBB	246	Slow combo but high damage
2B	2B	86	Uppercut, inflicts spinning down status on target.
CC8B	CC8B~BBBBB	243	Banshee slashes the target multiple times while flying around. High cut resistance.
BC	5BC~BBBBBB	134~164	Grabs target and drags them forward, ends with an explosion
	2/8BC~BBBBBB	126~173	Somersaults before flying towards and grabbing the target. Ends with an explosion.
	4/6BC~BBBBBB	118~166	Dashes to the side in L shape before charging towards and grabbing target. Ends with an explosion

Cancel Routes:

A, CSA: AB, *BC

AB: AC, *BC

AC: *BC

*B (except for 5B~A): BC

 

Overview

Banshee is a 2500 cost suit that, like its sibling Unicorn, prefers to remain on the defensive until it gains access to NT-D before going for big plays. Neutral game in Unicorn mode consists of keeping the enemy away with your AB and AC alongside volleys of beam magnum shots. Since the main is reloadable, you can afford to be more generous with your shots. 

Once Banshee gains access to NT-D however, your offensive options increase, and you can start pressuring your opponents. For starters, Banshee’s AB gets an upgrade during NT-D, in that it throws 2 sets of beam sabers instead of just 1. This makes it significantly harder for enemies to avoid, and because you can easily convert it into a melee combo or quick knockdown, it serves as a good okizeme/pressure tool. Secondly, Banshee’s BC is transformed into a versatile movement tool and combo ender while in NT-D. Because of the large amount of discussion points, we will be going over the specifics of what Banshee can do in the sections below. 

Unicorn Mode Ability Details

Ranged Weapons

Main: Beam Magnum

A high damage main weapon that can be manually reloaded when the clip is empty. Since you technically have unlimited ammo on this weapon, you can afford to be more generous with your shots. Do be warned however, that the beam magnum takes a longer time to fire than a standard main, requiring some adjustment on your end to fire effectively. 

Charged Main: Hyper Bazooka

A standard bazooka attack  Can be used as a last ditch attempt to keep out melee attackers if you have already expended your AB and AC. 

Charged Melee: NT-D System

Banshee activates its  NT-D System, giving it greater mobility and a new moveset. Banshee spawns with 0 ammo on this weapon, and forces an activation if it uses its Burst. Also, NT-D will be permanently active once Banshee’s HP drops below 240. 

Sub:  Beam Saber Throw

Banshee throws beam sabers to its left and right. Because the beam sabers cover a good amount of space and remain on the map for some time, your sub is a useful move to throw out in any close quarter engagement. You can also cancel it into your AC or BC, denying your opponents the option of attacking you from the middle (where the boomerangs do not cover). 

Special Shooting:  Armed Armor BS (High Output)

Releases a long beam which stays on the field for a short while.  Enemies that come into contact with the beam are stunned. Normally used after your sub, or when you have a good read on your opponent’s boost, but you can also use it as a deterrent against close-range attackers.

Melee Set

Banshee’s 5B is best as a combo part for damage. 8B has a good hitbox but is hard to use as a command input compared to BC, so you’ll hardly be using it. 4/6B has average performance. 2B is an uppercut that’s best used in a combo. CC8B is often your best choice, although it’s also average. 

BC is your best melee move in your base form. Banshee punches with its big fist, instantly downing the enemy on hit. This has a good hitbox and pretty good range, although the startup and charging speed is rather poor. Still, you can end your combos with this, or intercept melee attacks— even those with super armor properties!

Destroy Mode Ability Details

Ranged Weapons

Main: Armed Armor BS

Banshee’s main is transformed into a constantly reloading, high tracking beam. As the main in this form has high damage and good tracking, it is a move you will want to use often throughout a match. Do be warned though, the Armed Armor does not reload fast enough for you to expend as generously as you would in Unicorn mode. Reckless usage can leave you in situations where you lack ammunition to land an otherwise guaranteed hit. Make use of cancel routes such as A > BC or A > AC when in close range to conserve ammo. 

Charged Main:  Armed Armor BS (Charged)

Banshee’s lackluster bazooka is upgraded to a high-speed one shot down beam. Can be used as a way to down an enemy when you have to quickly finish a melee combo. Otherwise, you will want to punish opponents’ landing with this move. 

Sub:  Beam Saber (Throw) 

Banshee now throws 2 sets of 2 beam sabers which spin for a short while on the map before disappearing. Each set of boomerangs tracks individually, making it a good tool for oki and catching enemies who like to boost or step sideways. As with Unicorn Mode, you can cancel this move into AC or BC to create a tricky situation for your opponent to escape from.

Special Shooting:  Armed Armor BS (High Output) 

Releases a long gerobi which stays on the field for a short while. Enemies that come into contact with the beam are stunned. Generally the same weapon as its Unicorn counterpart, except that it does slightly higher damage. 

Burst Attack:   Armed Armor BS (Maximum Output)

Release a series of 4 fire pillars forward. Large area of impact. Input 4/6 to cause the pillars to appear in a horizontal line instead at a set distance forward. 

Melee Set

5B: Melee Rush

Banshee shreds the enemies with the fury of a lion. This is best used as a combo part for big damage.

5B~A: Armed Armor BS Shot

Ends the combo with a one-shot knockdown.

5B~8B: Slash-through

Ends the combo with a hop over the opponent while slashing. Good cut resistance.

8B: Stab

Bounces the enemy on hit. This move ends quick, and is great as a combo part for leaving the enemy in a bounce state. 

4/6B: Rapid Slashes

A 3-stage combo. Note that this has rather average priority compared to other all-rounder units, so don’t expect to reliably start combos with this like you’re Master Gundam.

4/6B~8B: Banshee Rush

Can be cancelled into from the 2nd hit of 4/6B onwards. A rather long combo.

2B: Uppercut

Banshee slashes upwards with its claw. Good damage proration, useful in combos.

CC8B: Mobile Assault

Banshee’s signature melee attack. Dash around while slashing the enemy a total of 6 times. Great cut resistance in the middle of the sequence. You can either start your melee combos with this or end with it for good damage and cut resistance. Just note that the hitbox on your first hit is rather average, so be mindful of the range at which you attempt to use this move.

BC: Armed Armor VN

In NT-D Mode, your BC now comes with 3 possible inputs. 

5B: Dash straight at the enemy and grab it. You can mash B for more damage after the grab. This has good reach and average cut resistance. You can use this even in overheat, but the performance of this move is noticeably worse in overheat.

This has a great hitbox, even beating out all of Master Gundam’s melee moves. 

8B: Somersault upwards before dashing at the target and grabbing it. You can mash B for more damage after the grab. This has poorer cut resistance and a slower startup compared to 5BC, but this does the most damage of all your BC grabs. This is the preferred version to use when cancelling out of your CC8B combo as well. You can also use the somersault portion of this move for mobility— try backstepping after the somersault to enter a freefall.

4/6BC: Banshee moves horizontally before dashing at the enemy to grab it. This is the hardest to hit raw of the 3 BC moves, and is perhaps best used for movement. You can sidestep cancel this at any time and attempt to hit your boomerangs or other moves. 

Strategies

Players who want to pick up Banshee must be able to adapt to its 2 distinct playstyles. While NT-D is not active, you are looking to stay as healthy as possible while dealing damage with your main and waiting for NT-D to charge up. Your AB, AC and BC commands will be used to keep opponents away from you, and you melee only as a last resort. Because Banshee’s movement is sluggish in this form, you want to stay at a range where you can pressure while being able to easily react to anything the opponent throws at you. The last thing you want is to lose an engagement and precious HP as a result. As soon as your NT-D is active though, it is time for a paradigm shift.

When NT-D is active, Banshee’s mobility increases greatly, and gains access to better versions of its moves. While your general play style does not change, you can now afford to be more aggressive due to the added mobility. For example, where you would previously be using your AB as a keepout tool, you may now consider using it offensively. Throwing two sets of beam sabers to your opponents’ sides creates a situation where they can not carelessly move. Also, even though your main source of damage continues to be your main, you now have access to a good charged main to supplement it. Adding on to that, Banshee’s BC becomes a movement tool that can be used for various purposes. 4/6BC is a good way of catching opponents in situations where you have both expended your boost during the neutral game. 2/8BC can be used as a quick escape from any okizeme your opponent may want to throw at you after a knockdown. (2/8BC >> 2/8BC > Boost dash away). Finally, 5BC is a good combo ender for combos where you have no more boost to continue, since you can cancel it from any melee and it travels a fair bit. 

E Burst is best for Banshee if it’s playing the support role. E is especially good for Banshee because you can burst the moment you reach yellow HP, allowing you to stay in NT-D for a longer time. F and S are both good options if you’re taking the front position, it all depends on your playstyle.

Banshee is best played as a support for a 3000 cost unit, and does well with suits like the Penelope.