SvC Chaos: SNK Vs Capcom/Tessa

タバサ, Tabasa
Difficulty	Difficult
Max Mode Needed?	Up to you, but it helps
Tier Placement	Top Tier (S)
Standing Hitbox	?
Crouching Hitbox	Tall

Introduction

Tessa, also known as Tabasa, is a witch that debuted in the niche CPS3 Capcom fighting game Red Earth/Warzard, and has since been relegated to being a guest appearance in the annals of Capcom's long history of forgotten IPs. At the very least, though, she made her (perhaps unexpected) appearance in SVC a very compelling one as the strongest of the non-boss characters and one of the best zoners in the game as a whole. She takes quite a bit of practice to do well with her, but once you get a hang of her, she has plenty to offer that forces nearly any character to play her game.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Great normals Can do jumping normals while backdashing Incredible air-to-air Max Mode is a great boon, but isn't necessary One of her supers can juggle Good anti-airs Busted command grab: To call Tessa's command grab strong is underselling it. With several ways she can reliably confirm into it or set it up, on top of being instant and even allowing her to counter aerial attacks with front step, Tessa uses it very often. Ending in a hard knockdown further gives Tessa some of the best okizeme in the game. Godlike okizeme: Command grab is not the only way for Tessa to enact her okizeme gameplay. Any time she gets a hard knockdown, she's able to force the opponent to play by her rules thanks to her ghost setups. These are not only nearly impossible to avoid, but can cross-up the opponent on wakeup, and then further interrupt them with a delayed follow-up attack. Command grab Exceed that extends combos Resistance to crouching light confirms when crouching herself: Due to an oversight, Tessa's hurtbox is raised above the ground whenever she's hit with a light attack while crouching. Granted, this assumes Tessa isn't holding down back. This also doesn't make Tessa completely immune to low hitting confirms entirely either, since she can still be hit by mid-hitting attacks for a combo. Against some matchups, however, this makes fighting Tessa much harder, notably with shotos like Violent Ken. This does not apply to low hitting heavy attacks. The best non-boss character: Not explicitly a pro in of itself, but you could argue that Tessa is by far the strongest of the non-boss characters, making her viable in any meta. If you were to make up a hypothetical scenario where all 12 bosses are automatically better than everyone else, that still puts Tessa high up at #13 on the tier list. In reality, though she has some flaws, Tessa is more than capable of fighting every matchup in the game, even the strongest boss characters. Tessa gets to reap unique benefits that other characters simply don't have.

Fat hurtbox: Though it may not look like it at first glance, Tessa's hurtboxes are bigger than average, which can lead her to getting hit more easily. Though the height matches her sprite, her hurtboxes are a little wider than they appear. Weak zoning and startup on zoning moves: Tessa is not a zoner, despite the common misconception that she is one given that her kit is designed to look like a zoner. First, her zoning tools including ghost have slow startup which makes using them a bit risky. Second, the attacks themselves are for the most part okay at best. Her fireball is slow and small, for example, and doesn't let her play fireball wars. Hard to do Light chains Command grab ends combos Command grab range is stubby Can only use one trap at a time Can't cancel most crouch attacks Inconsistent Exceed effectiveness: The damage Tessa's exceed does is random due to the random nature of how the meteors spawn. They aren't guaranteed to fully connect depending on where Exceed is done, the character it's performed on, and where the meteors fall. It's still a powerful Exceed, but its effectiveness isn't reliable. Unorthodox playstyle: Tessa is arguably one of the hardest characters in the game. Execution-wise, she's not too difficult, but her gameplay isn't terribly straightforward. Often when someone wants to play her in SVC, they try to play her as a zoner. In short, Tessa is not a zoner, a grappler, or even a rushdown fighter, but a footsies, oki-looping character. Getting used to playing her this way on top of all the other SVC knowledge required, including GCFS tech and matchup knowledge, can make getting good with Tessa take a lot of effort. Attempting to play her relying entirely on getting in to do command grab isn't going to get Tessa far, either.

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Frame Data Glossary
Damage	How much damage the attack does. This takes into account no defense modifiers, so the damage assumes a 0% damage modifier, or in other words the average defense modifier of 223 against characters like Kyo and Ryu. Note: Damage is a little inconsistent. Example: Geese cl.A deals 5 damage. Against Zero, sometimes it does 5 pixels of damage to his life bar, other times it does 4 pixels. Against Ryu, cl.A does 4 pixels of damage, other times it does 3 pixels of damage. This info comes from the Enterbrain Mook, but most likely this is the cause of damage modifiers skewing the damage slightly, thus making it a bit inconsistent. Damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma. It is listed because it's an official source for this info, just keep in mind damage is not 1-to-1 due to varying health values and screwy ways the game calculates damage anyways. There will be a question mark next to the four mentioned characters because it's only a guess as to what the actual damage values are (until health and damage are better understood), since they were never gathered in the Mook. Unfortunately, when doing attacks, the numbers dealt in damage do not match up with the mook. As an example, Geese's cl.C does 16 damage according to the mook, but against characters like Zero, it only does 14-15 damage, and very rarely it does 16 damage. Against Ryu, it does 12-13 damage at most. But against Orochi Iori, it also does 14-15 damage, and very rarely it does 16 damage. The mook does not explain how the numbers are obtained either, or against who they're tested against, if anyone. In other words, how these numbers were obtained if not through data mining is a mystery in itself, but it can be best assumed it was against 255 defense modifier characters, and at the max damage possible. Lastly, moves like Geese cl.D, though it says 10x2 for the damage, which is true, damage scaling reduces total damage on the second hit. Max Mode also reduces damage dealt by roughly half at most.
Counter Damage	How much damage the attack does on a counter hit, or when it connects with an opponent while they're performing an attack. Counter damage values listed are pulled from the SVC Chaos Enterbrain Mook, save Athena, Red Arremer, Serious Mr. Karate and Shin Akuma.
Guard	Where the attack hits, and thus where it must be blocked. Mids can be blocked standing and crouching Overheads must be blocked standing Lows must be blocked crouching Unblockable cannot be blocked Throws break through block up-close
Guard Crush	How much guard meter damage the attack does to the green Guard Gauge.
Stun	How many points of stun the attack adds to the opponent's invisible Stun Gauge.
Meter	How much meter is gained for performing/landing the attack. Special moves earn meter both when activated and when they connect with the opponent, whether it hits them or they block it.
Cancel	The type of cancel the attack can perform. Any - All cancel types work Ch - Chain cancel; it can chain into other attacks (mostly just lights) Self - Can chain only into itself Cmd - Command cancel; can cancel into command normals Sp - Special cancel; can cancel into special moves, and almost always this means super cancels are possible too Su - Super cancel; can cancel into super moves Free - Free cancel; can be cancelled in Max Mode by other special moves or super moves Written only for special moves as all normals can be Free Cancelled, so writing it in for every move would be redundant X - Cannot be cancelled, either outside of Max Mode or that it cannot be cancelled at all
Startup	How many frames it takes before the move becomes 'active' or has a hitbox. The SVC Chaos wiki uses classic startup notation, which does not include the first active frame. A move with 3 startup becomes active on frame 4. Super and Exceed startup will calculate both the frames before and after the super flash animation as such: X+Y, with X being the startup frames before the flash animation and Y being the startup frames after the flash animation. The startup will not take into account the frames of the flash animation itself where time freezes and the opponent player cannot act. Super flashes last 28 frames, whereas Exceed flashes last 27 frames. Because there is currently no way to view throw boxes, it is assumed that throws/command grabs are at most 0-1 frames of startup. Truthfully, we don't actually know though.
Active	How many frames a move remains active (can hurt opponents) for. Consecutive sets of active frames on a multi-hit move are separated by a comma. (Example: 3, 4 - The attack has its first hitbox for 3 frames, then the second hitbox for 4 frames) If there is a gap between sets of active frames, the gap is denoted by a number in parentheses. (Example: 3, (2), 4 - The attack is active for 3 frames, then is not active for the next two frames, followed by being active again for 4 frames.) Throw boxes are not visible either through dipswitches or the hitbox viewer so it's only a guess how active throws and command grabs are, but it's probably one active frame at most. This also applies to hitbox images - they will still show the push and hurtboxes of characters but outside of that, unfortunately there is no way to depict the throw boxes at the moment.
Recovery	How many frames it takes for a move to finish after it's been active.
Total	The total number of frames the attack lasts on screen for. This adds up the startup, active, and recovery frames into one number.
Hit/Block Adv	These are frame advantage values when the attack hits or is blocked. If the number is positive, then the move will end before the defender can act again. If the number is negative, the defender will be able to act before the attacker and maybe even punish. SKD refers to a soft knockdown, or a knockdown you can tech roll out of. HKD refers to a hard knockdown, one that you cannot tech roll out of. All frame advantages assume Ryu as the opponent. Each character has variable wakeup times, with Ryu having a 28 frame wakeup animation. Thus, on soft knockdowns and hard knockdowns, the frame advantage will be put in parentheses as it is different per character. It is only meant to give you a general idea of your exact frame advantage. Refer to each character's data at the top of the page for wakeup variables, however slight. Also assume that on soft knockdowns, the frame advantage is when the opponent does not tech roll. If needed, a second frame advantage will be added next to it for when they do tech roll. Frame advantages of projectiles assumes the opponent is point blank range. Any farther and this obviously changes and/or doesn't matter. Block advantage assumes no use of Guard Cancel Front Step. For one, it obviously decreases the attacker's frame advantage significantly. When the defender uses GCFS is also a variable factor so you cannot provide a hard answer as to what the frame advantage is after GCFS, as well as how soon they cancel GCFS into an attack. Generally speaking, just assume the block advantage minus the active frames of GCFS (18 frames), and that's a rough estimate of the frame advantage when GCFS is performed. Do keep in mind that GCFS technically has a slight delay when the dash is performed even if you register the input as early as possible. This doesn't really matter in most cases, since the attacker will automatically be quite minus after most attacks. It would only matter in situations where the attacker can punish GCFS attempts like with throws or multi-hit attacks, but even then, that's because the attacker canceled the blocked attack into another attack that the frame advantage of the blocked attack after GCFS no longer matters in that situation. All that matters, then, is the attack is cancelable at all.
Invulnerability	Indicates whether there's any frames of invulnerability during the attack.

Move List

Normal Moves

Close Normals

cl.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	5	1, (4), 2	5	17	2nd= +5	2nd= +3	-
A double-slap. Good to use on Light Attacks, but whiffs on low crouching chars. Any hit can be normal canceled, and this move can chain into itself, and other Light Attacks.

cl.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	3	3	6	12	+3	+1	-
Like the Far one, but with less reach. It's probably the best finisher for her short Light Attack chains. Can be normal canceled, but cannot chain into the other Light Attacks.

cl.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	9	3	6	18	+11	+9	-
A move for combos, but this isn't her best one. Just avoid this move, due to the bad startup.

cl.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	4	7	16	27	-3	-5	-
Her best normal for combos. It's the most damaging, and has great startup(When compared to the cl.C). Just learn how to use this.

Far Normals

st.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	12	4	4	20	+4	+2	-
Tessa does a simple attack with her staff. It has bad startup, but nice recovery. You can use this move as a poke, and only that.

st.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	4	4	12	20	-4	-6	-
An attack with Al(Her cat, if you want to make Tessa use the other cat, Evan, choose the other color). It looks like it hits low, but it hits mid. It's generally used as a poke, to hit as a meaty attack(The reach can help). Can't be normal canceled, and can't chain into any Light Attack.

st.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	21	6	19	46	-5	-7	-
Just a poking move with ice magic, but the reach isn't what it looks like. You can't hit your opponent with the tip of the ice thing, and if it whiffs, you can eat a combo. Can't be normal canceled too.

st.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	9	2	21	32	-3	-5	-
This move is nice for poking(The D attack are the best normals too). Faster, and the reach is what it looks like. Cannot be normal canceled. Has a lingering hurtbox that doesn't go away until the recovery completely finishes, so it's easy to whiff punish.

Crouch Normals

cr.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	5	5	4	14	+3	+1	-
An attack with her... Magic bird? Dunno, but this move can be normal canceled, and can chain into all of the Light Attacks.

cr.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	6	3	7	16	+2	+0	-
Just another attack with her cat. Has nice reach, and hits low this time. You can use this move as a poke, but this move can't be normal canceled(Just imagine you canceling a cat, or do it in Max Mode).

cr.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	17	6	15	38	-1	-3	-
Maybe... A normal anti-air? Not! She doesn't have reliable anti-airs, just don't use this, unless if you need a poke. Can't be normal canceled too.

cr.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	9	4	22	35	SKD	-8	-
Just another sweep that hits low, but this move can't be normal canceled(Unlike most of the other cr.HKs).

Jumping Normals

(n)j.A

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	8	10	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Just an attack with her staff. Can be used as a jump-in attack, or as an air-to-air move(The reach helps).

nj.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	10	6	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral Jumping Attack Nice defensive move. Can be used as an air-to-air, due to the great reach. It can be used as a neutral jump-in too, but it's a little dangerous.

j.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	10	6	-	-	-	-	-
Diagonal Jumping Attack A "kick" with her cat. Strange to use as a jump-in move(It can whiff on some characters if you try), but it has a decent angle. (Note: The cat is the attack here, not Tessa's leg.)

(n)j.C

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	13	7	12	~33	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack Tessa will stop in the air, and will use her ice magic. This move is bad as a jump-in attack, due to the "stop". Interestingly enough, this move can be used after a backdash, like the dash hops on Darkstalkers(It's probably the only normal with this feature in this game)

(n)j.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Overhead	-	-	-	-	11	3, 3	-	-	-	-	-
Neutral/Diagonal Jumping Attack An attack with her "Dragon Tail". This is probably her best jump-in attack, because it can crossup(A little tricky, but it still can). Learn how to crossup with this move, and you'll do fine in your matches.

Command Normals

Inroad Fowl - Bird
j.2D (Hold to delay)

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is one of the things that make Tessa a good character. "Why? It's just a little bird..." Yeah, but not only that. It can just beat ANY move in the air in the whole game, because the bird can't take damage(Meaning that no one can trade hits in the air when against it, your opponent will just lose). Oh, it can defeat air projectiles too, and I think Demitri's ES fireball(It destroys normal projectiles, is very horizontal, and can be used in the air) can be included in this list. Oh, it can be a combo starter against tall characters too, but more details about this will be on her combos section. Well, you'll need to learn how to use this move, it's very useful for her game(If you like zoning, you can use this, and if you like to be broken against your opponent in the air, abuse of this move).

Tachi Flask
f.C (Hold to delay)

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This move is good for zoning, and can be used as an anti-air(Probably her best one), or as a meaty attack. It's very fast too, and you can even delay the hit(Dangerous, but you can). If you release the button pressed when the Flask isn't falling down, the ice magic will aim upwards. If you release it after the Flask passes Tessa's hat, the ice magic will be like her f.C, but with way better reach. If you hold the button until the end(Or until it hits your opponent), the Flask will just be destroyed, but Tessa will recover faster than the two other versions mentioned before(On the other versions, Tessa points with her finger to fire the ice magic). Learn how to use this move if you like zoning games. (Important note: In case you hold the Flask until the end, it can act as a low-hitting move, but it depends of where it hits. And no, it won't act as an overhead if you throw the Flask on the opponent's head while he/she's crouching.)

Shagami Flask
df.C (Hold to delay)

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This version isn't that useful when compared to the version above. It can do anything that the move above can do: When you hold, Tessa will roll her Flask on the ground, and the attack will hit low(The above can do it), but your opponent can easily jump over it. "No worries! I can just release the button to predict his/her jump! Don't even try it. You'll just eat a damaging combo. Avoid this move, the above is just better.

Haul Flapper
df.B

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Decent move for combos(In the ground). Tessa uses her cat to do an attack aiming upwards. It's said that it can juggle without a counter hit, assuming that it hits your opponent in the air(Like an anti-air, but I don't know if it's reliable). It's fast, has almost no recovery, and can be used on some ground combos.

Restive Kitten
df.D

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is the move. It's like a stronger version of the Haul Flapper above. Very useful, and I can confirm that you can juggle if this move hits your opponent(It sends your opponent flying right above you, and you know what this means... FREE DAMAGE GUYS!!!!) It can easily combo after a normal, and Tessa even has some easy-to-land loops with it in Max Mode. Oh! did I said that you can followup her Exceed with this move? Yeah, that's the real juggle, and her Exceed is a setup for the loop mentioned, which is amazing for her. The cat will go higher, but a little slower than the "B version".

Throws

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Throw

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
24	24	Throw	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Guard Cancel Blowback
on Block

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
0	0	Mid	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Special Moves

Chakra Wave
(Jump) qcf P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
A standard projectile for her zoning game. The recovery of this move is very bad(No matter how you use it), and the best way to use it is to catch jumpers(By using the air version). If EQ has meter, he can easily punish you by using this projectile.

Winder Fist
qcf K

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
No follow-up	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tessa transforms her arm into a dragon. This part of the move won't do anything special, but it can combo after the cancelable Heavy Attacks.
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
She's On Enemy qcf K	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
The dragon will grab your opponent and throw him/her to the other side of the screen(It's not unblockable). If you whiff the move above, you still can use this followup. You can use this move on combos, you can need.

Reverie Sword
dp P

Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp A	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Version	Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
dp C	-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Her... DP-Like move. Not that good for an anti-air, because she stops after using it, and it doesn't have invincibility frames, making it a risky move to use. It should be better if you stick with the A version, because you can juggle(With almost any air attack) after it, and she has loops with this version in Max Mode too.

Jamming Ghost
dp K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
One of Tessa's moves to do pressure games. It helps on zoning too(Some characters can hardly jump over it), but it's easy to block. If the ghost hits, four ghosts will surround your opponent, and move when he/she moves. They will attack him at the same time after some seconds, and that's what makes him/her block, leaving you open to move and do pressure things. The best ways to use it are on punish situations, or if you make your opponent fall on it. (Important note: While the ghosts are surrounding your opponent, you can't use the Cat Bomb, her Chakra Wave, or another Ghost)

As Sent Proof
hcb P

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
-	-	Mid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tessa's unblockable grab. This move is very good to use(It even has some unblockable glitches), and the reach can help you(It can be used after any normal if you need more damage). Although it can look like, no, you can't juggle after this move, but it's still good to use(The gliches will be explained later).

Super Moves

Tricicle Edge
qcf x2 P (Hold to delay)

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
40x3	45	Mid (Low on feet)	4x3	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
This is a cool super. You can juggle after this move, but only if does one/two hits. It can even be a followup for the Exceed! Good damage after incredible damage! It can combo into itself too, but only on the corner. If you hold the button until it hits the ground, it can hit low too(Like the other Flask moves), which is good, but you can't juggle after this version of the move.

Death Phenomemo ~ Cat Bomb
hcb x2 K

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
56 (Explosion 24)	56 (Explosion 24)	Mid (Explosion Unblockable)	0	0	0	X	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Another move for pressure games. It's hard to hit(Can only hit while close from your opponent), but it has hit-confirm combos(Some of them will be on her combos section). If it hits, a timer will appear on the opponent's head. When the timer reaches zero(0), an explosion animation will occur(The explosion does incredible damage too, like when the super hits, which makes him/her block it). You can use the super as an anti-air too, but can you react with two HCBs? (Important note: While the timer is on the opponent's head, you can't use the Ghost Special Move)

Exceed

Meteo Fall

Damage	Counter Dmg	Guard	G. Crush	Stun	Meter	Cancel	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Invulnerability
96 (Meteor 8x11)	96 (Meteor 8)	Throw	0	0	0	X	0	1	20	21	SKD	X	No invul on whiff, full invul throughout only if Exceed connects
When the command grab whiffs, Tessa finishes her animation before the Exceed super flash even finishes allowing her to act again, yet the opponent still cannot move until after the flash animation finishes, making this Exceed more or less impossible to punish. Another unblockable grab with incredible reach and damage(Dunno if it has the same glitches mentioned before). After the move hits, many meteors will fall on your opponent, but where they will land is random(It's not the only random Exceed in this game). Like her Command grab, it can be used after any normal too, leading to more damage. Like said in the "Good and Bad things", you can juggle after the Exceed hits, but only if your opponent is on the reach. I think Tessa has 100% combos in normal mode due to the juggle, but I can't confirm that(I can confirm that she has 100% combos in Max Mode involving this Exceed).

Strategy

Basic Strategy

Tessa's glitch with the unblockable grab

Yeah, the glitch mentioned above. It's very important for her game, and can make you win many matchups(Or, and it works with most of the cast, I think). "What I need to do to make it work?" Just wait for a jump. If he/she performs any normal attack, quickly do a GCF, and then do the Command grab's input. "But I can do it when my opponent's on the ground!" Yeah, but if you do it when he/she's is jumping, you'll still hit your opponent(While he/she is still in the air). It's very good to make your opponent stop jumping, which helps for her zoning game(I mean, never jump against Tessa). If you need some examples, click [here] to watch them. (Note: Here, I just used the GCF example because is seems easier to do, she has some more options to make the glitch work, just watch the video and you'll see.)

Another Glitch

This glitch is with the grab too, but it's kind of a better way to use the Ghost. First, just make the Command Grab hit(You can use the glitch above to do that, kind of a followup), and when you can move, perform the ghost's input. Now, just quickly do a Super Jump(Or dash and jump), but try to land on the other side of your opponent. Your opponent will wakeup with his back turned, meaning that he/she will have to block the ghost to the other side, which is a common glitch in the Neo-Geo games. You can abuse of this glitch with Tessa. Oh, did I said that you can followup with any combo after the ghost hits? Learn this glitch, that's one of the things that makes Tessa an OP char.

Tessa's gameplan

Tessa can be a zoning char(The best one), or a close-range char(The most technical one, but maybe stronger), just choose. If you choose "zoning", just spam things(Especially her Ghost and the projectiles), that's how zoning works. Know your anti-airs(They are very situational), and punish them when you need with a damaging combo. Her zoning game is the best if you like to build meter. When you score a knockdown, it's better to do the standard projectile(From far away), and after it, a ghost(If he/she jumps, he/she will meet the ghost). If you go to the Max Mode, just be offensive, you have easy loops to land. If you choose "close-range", you'll be offensive everytime, and make sure you land the glitches(That means, don't jump that much). If you score a knockdown, you can do meaty moves from far away, like her standard projectile, or you can prepare your ghost, and be free to do what you want(The ghost can make your opponent be aware of jumping too, like an Aegis Reflector). Good luck in your future matches.

Advanced Strategy

Resets

Resets are important here, it's said on almost every character's section. Tessa has easy reset setups with her DP+A(You can juggle with a normal after the attack, making your opponent land without getting a knockdown). The resets aren't hard things to do, you just need patience. After any reset combo, just do any grab move(Time well, and you can get the hit). This reset can be done everywhere, so you can prepare her glitch by using this. You don't need to learn it too, it's just here because it's useful.

Combos

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom Quick Combo Notation Guide

cl. = close normal st. = standing/far normal cr. = crouching normal f.; etc. = forward direction (NOT far) X = any button CH = counter hit , = Used to separate attacks in the combo / = Separates different options for the combo (mainly different starters or enders that are possible) Unless otherwise stated (such as it's a link or you need to delay the attack), assume this is a chain/cancel. Example: cr.B, cr.A, dp A ; cr.B chains into cr.A, then cr.A cancels into dp A [b]~f = Indicates to charge back (or downback), then press forwards for the given special move ( ) = Parentheses used to indicate the attack(s) within the parentheses are optional to add to the combo (C) = Indicates a free cancel, aka a cancel only possible in Max Mode (SC) = Indicates a super cancel via free canceling in Max Mode (1) = Used to indicate how many hits of the attack should connect (or less than) before continuing with the combo Example: cl.C(1), hcb P means that only one hit of cl.C should be performed before moving on to do hcb P, not more than one hit [ ] = Used to distinguish combo loops or combo starters/etc. in case a certain attack is only possible after specific options xN = Repeat the given loop for as many times as either possible or as many times as you wish May change to numpad notation much later down the road.

For all of Tessa's combos that can be done with a jump-in, j.2D can be used as the jump-in but only against tall characters.

BnB Combos

BnB Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.2D,) cl.C, cr.B / cr./st.D	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	This is just a link, not terribly useful.
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, dp A, j.X	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Easy combo to begin. The optional Bird is in there just if you need more damage(You don't need to learn how to use the Bird as a combo starter, but if you want, practice on Hugo/EQ). As you know, you can juggle after the last hit of the DP+A, and the two options are good(The Bird will knockdown, and the j.D will reset your opponent, this will be explained later). If you're on midscreen, and you're having problems with the j.D, just use a j.A instead. You can cancel the cl.D into her Command grab, just if you don't like his combo.
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, df.D, df.B, j.X	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Another reset/knockdown setup. It can be a variation of the first combo(If you use DP+A instead of the df+B, but it's easier with the df+B only). Like in the first combo, if you're having problems with the j.D, just use the j.A instead.
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, qcf K x2	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Just a combo with the dragon. The combo is simple, and as damaging as the above. Oh, after the dragon finisher, your opponent will wakeup with his back turned(Meaning that he/she will wakeup facing the wrong side), you can throw a projectile on your opponent here, and maybe, it can hit him/her(If he/she knows this trick, he/she'll know how to block).
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, qcf x2 P	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Just a combo to hit-confirm the super(She has better options, but it's still good to use). You can add another Super after the Super, but only if it does two hits. The damage is very good too.
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, df.D, df.B, (SC or delay) qcf x2 P	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	A more damaging version of the combo above, but works better on midscreen(The Super won't even be on the screen if used on the corner). Good to practice, damaging, and you can add another Super after the Super(You already knew that)
(Midscreen only) (j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, Exceed, df.D, df.B, qcf x2 P	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	This is a combo with the Exceed involved. It already does a ton of damage, but you can add another super to add more damage, also. You need to learn it, but it's just a midscreen variation(The easier to land). The corner variation is below.
(Corner only) (j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, Exceed, df.D, df.B, hcb x2 K	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	This is the corner variation, and one of the best hit-confirms for the Cat bomb. It won't insta-kill, but you can apply pressure on your opponent. Watch out, if Tessa takes damage(Not chip damage), the timer will stop.
(j.2D, j.X crossup,) cl.D, df.B, Exceed, df.D, df.B, super	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Another good combo, but a very hard one. Can do 100% damage on certain characters too. If you're having problems with it, just stick with the two above. This is just a more damaging version. Which super you use depends on your position.

Max Mode Combos

Max Mode Combos

Combo	Position	Damage	Stun	Difficulty	Notes
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, dp A(1), (C)df.D, [(delay) dp A(1), (C)df.D,]xN, df.B, super	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	You should learn it, just for the combo below(It won't work with the DP+C too, just to say). If you're having problems with the below, just stick with this one(That's why it's here). It can't KO your opponent, but it's a good way to use your meter in Max Mode. If you want to begin the loop with the df+D, go ahead, but it will be harder. Again, after the QCF(2x)+P Super, you can add another one(If you haven't fully spend your meter, do it, you won't lose anything). Which super you use depends on your position.
(j.2D, j.X,) cl.D, Exceed, df.D, [(delay) dp A(1), (C)df.D,]xN, df.B, super	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	This one can guarantee a KO(If the Exceed helps). It's harder than the above, because it's a mix of some normal mode combos, and her Max Mode loop. If you're having problems with it, just stick with the loop above, it can help you too, but don't worry, you have other options for combos with the Exceed.