| "Target neutralized. Threat evaluation: Severe danger. Recommend unit upgrade."
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Phobos, known as Huitzil outside of Japan, is one of an army of identical giant, disproportionately-shaped robots that are classified by his name in plural form ("the Huitzil," or simply "Huitzils" in the 1997 anime) and who were constructed by Pyron 65 million years ago with orders to destroy all life on the planet Earth, but after they succeed in obliterating the dinosaurs, a massive earthquake traps everything deeply beneath Earth's layers until 520 A.D., when one of the robots was unearthed and utilized by the Mayans as a guardian of Central America against evil forces before being abandoned in the ruins of the Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan (in pre-Columbian Mexico).
Phobos is the primary zoner of Vampire Hunter and is defined by his polarizing strengths and weaknesses. Thanks to his long range normals and great projectile in Might Launcher (214K) Phobos is able to both effectively zone and keep opponents out while his amazing guard cancel and hover allow him to keep opponents at a distance. Phobos also happens to possess one of the single best supers in the game in Confusioner, a projectile super that essentially stuns the opponent. As one might expect, Phobos struggles once opponents get in, his hurtboxes are the largest in the game, he has the slowest prejump, the lowest jump height and his normals tend to be either slow or leave him more vulnerable than most characters, making it hard for him to challenge pressure. If you enjoy playing a more traditional, slow paced zoning game, Phobos may be your character.
| Strengths |
Weaknesses
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- Sits in the highest health bracket
- Strong normals with great range and priority, including two amazing anti-airs
- Among the best zoning capabilities in the game thanks to his projectile and normals
- Amazing Guard Cancel, does no damage but pushes the opponent almost full screen
- Confusioner is one of the single best supers and gives him incredible comeback potential, being able to turn a major deficit into a guaranteed victory
- Good, if awkward to use, mobility
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- Normals have slow startup, very limited pressure options up close
- While Might Launcher and Confusioner are amazing, his other specials and supers while still good, are much more committal
- Massive hurtboxes makes Phobos easy combo food and allows strong character specific combos including an infinite
- Very limited chain options, chains for Phobos are ultimately less rewarding compared to rest of the cast
- Slowest pre jump frames in the game at around 9 rather than the standard 4ish frames
- Lowest jump height in the game can give massive issues in a number of scenarios, such as avoiding some chip kills
- Lacks invulnerability outside of guard cancelling
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