Rachel Alucard is a tricky, advanced-level character who specializes in zoning and luring opponents into traps. Her normal attacks are short and not very good for close range fighting, but in conjunction with her special moves and proper utilization of her Drive, the damage that can result from the combination of these factors can be quite high. Her Drive, Silpheed (シルフィード,Shirufīdo), has the ability to control the direction of the wind which can affect the range of her projectiles and can also affect her opponents. She can move around all of her projectile weapons including her Tiny Lobelia (タイニー・ロベリア,Tainī Roberia) cannons, her frog familiar Georg XIII (ゲオルグ13世,Georugu Jūsan-sei), and her Impish Gypsophila (インピッシュ・シプソフィラ,Inpisshu Shipusofira) pumpkin. These projectiles along with her lightning rods are used to hit and force the enemy into blocking. When the lightning rods activate, they can hit her enemies. These tools can help her keep opponents in their place and the lightning rods can catch them off guard. One use of the wind requires 1/4 of the wind gauge, meaning you can only use 4 winds in a row. Once you use up all of it you have to wait for it to recover while standing on the ground. The gauge refills 1/4 of its stock every 3 seconds.
She is a little weak at close range but has some strong tools. For ground to air attacks she has 2B, 6A. From above the opponent, in the air, she can use j.C cannon or j.2C. For horizontal attacking she has lighting attacks and horizontal projectiles, which include her cannon and pumpkin which can both be shot across the stage by wind. Both can be used against grounded and airborne opponents. 6B is also a very useful mid ranged normal attack. It is able to put the opponent in a lot of hit-stun on a counter hit. Because of the update (1.03) her 6B now causes knock down and her 5CC as well.
In BlazBlue: Continuum Shift to say that Rachel was bludgeoned severely by the nerf bat was an understatement. Many of her combo tools were removed, her damage output was lowered, and the utilization of her projectiles was extremely weakened. She fell from her throne to the bottom of the dreaded D-tier barrel. Because of this, she practically disappeared from tournament play. When BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II came out, Rachel was back in full force. She had regained most of her tools from BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, but not enough to make her as strong as her old self was. She was eventually seen once more in tournament play. In BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend Rachel got some new tools to make up for the ones she lost, but in exchange she lost durability on many of her once impregnable normals.
Forms a small whirlwind in front of her. Jump-cancelable.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
750
310
Attacks with her umbrella. Press C again for a second attack which knocks opponent down. 5CC causes the opponent to enter in spinning stun state in BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger and CS1. 5CC also used to break one guard primer on block in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift and CS2, but no longer breaks a primer in CS:EX.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
300
124
Jab. Hits mid.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
420
198
Small gust of wind at opponents feet. Hits low.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
1000
414
Electric chair. Has auto-guard on startup from frame 5 onwards. Unsafe on block and clashes with a lot of attacks. Cannot be canceled on clash. Breaks one Guard Primer on block.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
620
256
Uppercut. Primary anti-air, will beat almost every aerial attack in the game. Upper body invincible, 1 hit auto-guard and deflects 1-hit projectiles. Launches on hit.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
640
264
Fork attack. Longest range poke. On CH causes knock down. Jump-cancelable. No more jump-cancelable in CS:EX, but it gained wallbounce properties on CH.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
241
99
Jumps into the air while spinning. Cancels into j.C. Use of wind will alter trajectory of spin and increase number of hits.
Attacks with her wings. Mainly used this as air-to-air. Decent.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
650
269
Opens umbrella. Really good for opponents who are above you in the air. Leaves opponent stunned on CH.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(hold) (in the air)
--
--
Floats back down to the ground. No real use aside from running the clock down.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
680 (Lv. 1), 1200 (Lv. 2), 2000 (Lv. 3)
281 (Lv.1), 496 (Lv. 2), 828 (Lv.3)
Forms a spike under her and falls straight down. Very good overhead when used with wind, can combo into/out of it. Also good for IAD cross-ups. Cancels into j.C on hit in midair or 5B after landing on hit. Fatal Counters if Rachel comes down from a high altitude.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
300x3
124x3
Rachel’s dress turns into a giant spikey collar and spins around. Hits low. Use of wind alters momentum and increases number of hits.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
800
331
Spins around then stabs with her wing. Overhead. A little slow, but good to throw out from time to time. Breaks one Guard Primer on block.
Throws[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
0, 1200
0, 496
Rachel’s ground throw has very short range. Thus, she does not have much of a throw game compared to other characters. However, tick grab setups can be very useful for her. Unfortunately, unless they hit the corner, Rachel needs wind to combo from her ground throw.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
0, 1200
0, 496
Rachel’s back throw is used very much like her ground throw. The exception is it can be used to try to throw the opponent into the corner if Rachel is the one who’s cornered. Her back throw combo is exactly the same as her forward throw combo and is also wind dependent outside of the corner.
Input
Damage
Heat gain
(in the air)
0, 1600
0, 662
Unlike her ground throws, if Rachel is low enough to the ground or is fortunate enough to throw the opponent into Georg, she does not need wind to combo from her air throws. Like most other airthrows, Rachel’s air throw is a good option for threatening the opponent or catching them off guard when they try to jump out of pressure. One particularly unique thing about Rachel’s airthrow game is that Rachel is able to move very fast and very far in the air thanks to wind, so she is capable of zooming across the screen and grabbing her opponent (possibly out of their attack) when they least expect it. One thing to keep in mind is that, despite how the animation looks, Rachel’s air throw does not reach very high above her and instead reaches mostly in front of her.
Counter Assault[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
123
0
Uses a large fork to counter any attacks and combo into any moves that she goes near to others and anything else.
Crush Trigger[]
Input
Damage
Heat gain
1000
Possible to charge;180F Heat Gauge Cooldown
Drive[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
Any direction +
シルフィード Shirufīdo
Silpheed
--
--
Moves you and opponent in corresponding direction. Blows wind across the screen, moves you and opponent forward. Wind will affect both opponents. Opponent is affected less than Rachel. Can be used at any time when Rachel is not being hit or blocking, even during attacks and attack recoveries. Consumes one wind stock per use. Wind stocks recharge while Rachel is on the ground.
Overdrive[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
エルフリード Erufurīdo
Elfried
--
--
Increases the Wind Meter’s recharge rate.
Exceed Accel[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(during Overdrive)
ガーベラ・リュート Gābera Ryūto
Gerbera Lute
2000 4000 (Active Flow)
New move in Centralfiction. Rachel hits the opponent and then summons a tornado which captures the opponent, the opponent then drops from the top of screen while Rachel is enjoying a cup of tea.
Cannon shot. Forms a lightning rod when it hits the ground. Trajectory changes depending on button pressed, A being lowest and C being highest. THIS IS REVERSED IN THE AIR (A = Highest, C = Lowest) Max of 3 rods possible.
Input
Japanese name
English name
English localization
Damage
Heat gain
(air also)
ゲオルグ13世 Georugu Jūsan-sei
Georg XIII
George XIII
145x8, -- (Summon)
60x8, -- (Summon)
Frog summon. On the ground she sets it down in front of her, in the air she throws it a certain distance. Follows opponent around, when it gets close enough it will emit a small electric field. Can be pushed or pulled with the wind. Disappears after hitting the opponent, if Rachel is hit or if it is hit by the opponent.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(air also)
インピッシュ・シプソフィラ Inpisshu Shipusofira
Impish Gypsophila
300, -- (Summon)
124, -- (Summon)
Summons a pumpkin. Inactive until you move it with wind. Good in blockstrings or harassing/interrupting your opponent. Also good for keeping yourself safe when you want to set up rods/frogs. Disappears after 3 seconds or if Rachel is hit.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
CT: CS-CP: (air also)
ソード・アイリス Sōdo Airisu
Sword Iris
600 (G), 600 (A)
248 (G), 248 (A)
Sets off all lightning rods. Can only be used when a lightning rod is placed with Tiny Lobelia, if there is no lightning rod, it whiffs, unless Rachel is in Unlimited Mode. Changed to 214C in Continuum Shift. Cannot be used when blocking or being hit.
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(air also)
ベルゼ・ロータス Beruze Rōtasu
Beezle Lotus
300 (Ground/Air)
New move from CP. Aside from activating rods with Sword Iris, Rachel also turn her rods into Lotus. When activated, the existing rods turn into helicopter bats and home in on the opponent. Both versions only travel a short distance, though A Lotus is able to travel slightly farther than B Lotus. However, the distance/speed traveled can also be enhanced greatly by wind. Lotus do a small amount of damage on hit, but will attach on hit or block. A Lotus is not really used much compared to B Lotus. However, when attached to opponents it can launch them extremely high and allow for new combo possibilities. Air versions of both moves are pretty worthless due to their long recovery.
Input
Japanese name
English name
English localization
Damage
Heat gain
(air also)
バレル・ロータス Bareru Rōtasu
Barrel Lotus
Lotus Barrel
300 (Ground/Air)
New move from CP. Of the two Lotus, B Lotus is much more commonly used. Rachel can safely set it up in combos, situations where someone techs in the air, or if far away to halt approaches on both the ground and air with Lotus’ homing properties. It’s a good option to use after making someone block a Lobelia. When it’s attached, Rachel’s 5D not only homes in, but is significantly stronger allowing combos like 5B > 5CDC to carry someone much farther than it normally would or after a level 3 j.2C to launch someone extremely high into the air. It can also be used to strengthen her zoning and space control, but it does not give Pumpkin new angles to attack.
Distortion Drives[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
(air also)
バーデン・バーデン・リリー Bāden-Bāden Rirī
Baden-Baden Lily
500x6 (G), 500x6 (A), 150x4 (Per Rod)
0
Rachel rises into the air, and is surrounded by lightning. Also sets off any lightning rods you have out. Can continue combo after. Combos into itself. Damage from rods stack with super. Invulnerable during super freeze. Goes through projectiles. Breaks one primer per rod and for Rachel. It is very used in the middle of Rachel’s combos.
Rachel summons a gust of wind that hurl’s projectiles. Restores wind gauge. Can continue combo after. combos into itself. The number of projectiles are based on how many bars are left in the wind gauge.At 3/4 and 4/4 of the wind gauge, it hurls Giant Pumpkins and/or Giant Frogs. Both of them break one guard primer on block each.
Astral Heat[]
Input
Japanese name
English name
Damage
Heat gain
クラウニッシュ・カレンデュラ Kuraunisshu Karendyura
Clownish Calendula
Death
0
An unblockable attack performed around Rachel. Silpheed can be used during the Astral to draw in the opponent.