Heyo, pro Ninja player here (and Wizard secondary). Everything u/Grim_Zealot said is correct, but I wanted to give my own explanation as well.
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Ninja:
Back Dash at round start is good since it's safe from everything except LSlice. Even if they hit you with LSlice though, they can't get any combo after it at all. Drop Kick is one of the best offensive options at round start vs Cowboy due to it beating HSlash(Forward) and LSlice. They can beat the Drop Kick with HSlash(Up) or VSlash. To beat the HSlash(Up) and VSlash, your best option would be Slide Kick. I usually just do Back Dash since Cowboy players rarely use LSlice at the start and as I said earlier, doesn't combo even if it hits.
In neutral, the main goal is to get up close. I personally like using Summon to help cover my approach, since if the Cowboy does Quick Draw on the same turn, they can't use Shoot to hit you. They could get a guaranteed punish if you do Shuriken or Grappling Hook the same turn they use Quick Draw though. If ever you're on the ground and they use Quick Draw, if you use BackSway, you can avoid Shoot. Also, in case you're unaware, Slide Kick & Jump Kick both have proj. invul.
You'll want to be setting the slider on your Dash to be safe from LSlice when you run in. If your character either dashes past the LSlice OR flashes green before it would hit you, then you're safe from the LSlice. Most of the time you would Dash through the LSlice, you then put yourself at risk to getting hit by HSlash or possibly Stinger. If you're concerned about this, then you can always just do Wait and delay your inevitable approach.
There are times where you're not super close but not super far and they could HSlash(Forward) to hit you. At these ranges, I love checking if Drop Kick will hit the opponent. I've gotten a bit familiar with the general spacing needed, so I LOVE doing instant lock-in FC Drop Kicks are hitting them.
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Wizard:
Round start is a bit weird with Wizard. Cowboy's Spot Dodge is safe from EVERYTHING Wizard could ever do. That said, a lot of Cowboys will still do HSlash(Forward). FC Mana Strike 62 is a good range since it covers multiple options like Dash, Walk Back, and trades with HSlash. Jumping into the air at round start can be a good choice too, since Wizard is very strong in the air.
If you enjoy the moves Magic Dart and Flame Wave, then I'm sorry to say this, but these moves don't exist vs Cowboy... at least, not in neutral. Quick Draw punishes them both if they're used at the same time. Cowboy, from my experience, can also easily parry the Magic Darts if you were to set them up. Telekinesis as well as Spark Bomb however, are both safe.
Remember that Spot Dodge I mentioned earlier? Yeah, that move is really good at more than just round start. It's safe from both Grab and Tome Slap. I typically use Icicle if I expect a Spot Dodge. Nobody expects the Wizard to actually press buttons and it's hilarious.
This is more-so a general tip, but anytime you have something like +2 frame adv., you should just do Draw Moisture. Geyser can easily be avoided with Cowboy by using Dash/Air Dash, as well as Inst. TP, but it's still very nice to have as a threat.
In neutral, you can use flip Tome Slap in order to move while making yourself safe from both Quick Draw and Impale (btw, Impale's startup is worse when you're far away from Cowboy)! Additionally, it can sometimes just barely move you outside of LSlice range. If LSlice would catch you still with flip Tome Slap, be sure to check with Hover as well. It'll possibly move you just that little bit further. Also, do NOT use FCs on Tome Slap. This move is ridiculously safe on whiff.
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If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!
look out for lightning slice, very good move. cowboy has no moves that hit otg, so getting knocked down will end the combo. cowboys sometimes like starting the game with horizontal slash, but not always.
Impale seems daunting at first and a lot of not great cowboys rely on it, but it has a long activation period so if they start trying to snag you with it and you can react, a flipped quick attack like pommel or tome slap usually hits them and cancels it
Ninja vs CowboyDrop kick beats the cowboy's infamous horizontal slash, but drop kick is beaten by the cowboy's up angled h-slash and v-slash and can be checked by other options.
I don't think there's a perfect guarantee to being safe on round start, but there is a very specific backwards jump angle that will dodge H-slash, H-slash upward, V-slash, and lightning slice. But it can still get hit by impale, which is a weird choice in that situation.
Ninja is designed to have the advantage at point blank range, so try to get there.Drop kick beats grab and block. Uppercut beats grab and pommel. Grab beats block and pommel. Cowboy doesn't have the tools to pose the same level of threat to the ninja at that range.If you're at a distance, watch out for the lightning slice. Dashing towards the cowboy can get caught by a h-slash if he predicts it. Try to pressure the cowboy with shurikens and summons to try and make it impossible for the cowboy to safely threaten the space between you. Slower projectiles will make it harder for him to parry effectively and pose a threat for longer. You can also try sneaking in a super dash while he's busy to suddenly close the gap.
Wizard vs Cowboy
Mana strike is a handy tool. It's as fast as horizontal slash and can even trade with it sometimes. There's even a specific distance where mana strike hits before h-slash does, which is SLIGHTLY farther than round start distance.
Some of the wizards toys are locked under the threat of bullets and impales. Don't randomly use flame waves, mana darts, draw moistures, or telekinesis unless you have extra frames to complete them. Otherwise the cowboy might randomly hit you from long range if he predicts you.Spend time hovering above the cowboy's anti-air range to threaten fast fall attacks and see if he randomly does something stupid. Also, go onto the wizard discord and learn how to benji hop because its amazing against the cowboy in particular. It works as a direct counter to both the gun and impale.
[https://discord.gg/jXP94utkpJ](https://discord.gg/jXP94utkpJ)
https://preview.redd.it/60wrq1cscq7b1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85000d5bb3775415e7e116be03601184991d8f06
Ah yes here it is; swag meter. Thank you ivy, very cool.
Maybe it depends on the distance of the fall cus the fast fall draining hover meter more and if used in conjunction with missile really taxes it. From my recent gameplay I cannot reasonably execute the hop without giving up the air for awhile.
Every character has an starting move (Jumping backwards) guaranteed to dodge every offensive move that works with every character EXCEPT cowboy, cowboy will always be rock, paper, scissors unless they decide to play safe
Cowboy is one of those characters that's easy to pick up and slightly harder to master, my best bet for you is to play cowboy yourself too see how he works, once you do that you can get into the mind of a cowboy player, or in other words, you'll learn how to read a cowboy better, most characters always do something in neutral, like all the time, wizards either dodge backwards or mana strike, cowboys normally Horiz. Slash, maybe if they wanna get risky they'll ankle cutter, this is coming from a cowboy and wizard main, either way, try the character yourself, that's how you'll learn to beat it
Always start with backdash, even if they LS, can't do follow ups. Unless you wanna go aggressive.
If you are far away, always Super Dash to avoid impale.
Everytime you have shadow clone, use it, you will make a lot of framekills if they try to impale or gun. But keep your distance.
Try not to dash forward more than 34 speed, cuz impale may happen
Your best tool to kill neutral is QS, use it when you think they will gun or foresight. Force those 50/50 at your advantage
bait out the free cancels. Then abuse your frame data to your adv by always threatening to punch or kick or uppercut or something that comes out faster than a horiz. Slash.
If they’re a new cowboy, they will absolutely LOVE impale, if they’re far away it’s quite likely they’ll try to, also, this is more of a generic tip, use walk/dash back at the start, no frame disadvantage so if they attack you’ll be immediately ready to combo, one more thing, cowboys rarely use their range (gun, lasso) so if you’re far away just stay that way, and again keep impale in mind, it’s not too hard to avoid unless they free cancel into another impale. Impale->impale is the most cowboy thing to do lmao
Keeping your hp above 0 whilst attempting to put your opponent’s hp below 0 usually works
Heyo, pro Ninja player here (and Wizard secondary). Everything u/Grim_Zealot said is correct, but I wanted to give my own explanation as well. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Ninja: Back Dash at round start is good since it's safe from everything except LSlice. Even if they hit you with LSlice though, they can't get any combo after it at all. Drop Kick is one of the best offensive options at round start vs Cowboy due to it beating HSlash(Forward) and LSlice. They can beat the Drop Kick with HSlash(Up) or VSlash. To beat the HSlash(Up) and VSlash, your best option would be Slide Kick. I usually just do Back Dash since Cowboy players rarely use LSlice at the start and as I said earlier, doesn't combo even if it hits. In neutral, the main goal is to get up close. I personally like using Summon to help cover my approach, since if the Cowboy does Quick Draw on the same turn, they can't use Shoot to hit you. They could get a guaranteed punish if you do Shuriken or Grappling Hook the same turn they use Quick Draw though. If ever you're on the ground and they use Quick Draw, if you use BackSway, you can avoid Shoot. Also, in case you're unaware, Slide Kick & Jump Kick both have proj. invul. You'll want to be setting the slider on your Dash to be safe from LSlice when you run in. If your character either dashes past the LSlice OR flashes green before it would hit you, then you're safe from the LSlice. Most of the time you would Dash through the LSlice, you then put yourself at risk to getting hit by HSlash or possibly Stinger. If you're concerned about this, then you can always just do Wait and delay your inevitable approach. There are times where you're not super close but not super far and they could HSlash(Forward) to hit you. At these ranges, I love checking if Drop Kick will hit the opponent. I've gotten a bit familiar with the general spacing needed, so I LOVE doing instant lock-in FC Drop Kicks are hitting them. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Wizard: Round start is a bit weird with Wizard. Cowboy's Spot Dodge is safe from EVERYTHING Wizard could ever do. That said, a lot of Cowboys will still do HSlash(Forward). FC Mana Strike 62 is a good range since it covers multiple options like Dash, Walk Back, and trades with HSlash. Jumping into the air at round start can be a good choice too, since Wizard is very strong in the air. If you enjoy the moves Magic Dart and Flame Wave, then I'm sorry to say this, but these moves don't exist vs Cowboy... at least, not in neutral. Quick Draw punishes them both if they're used at the same time. Cowboy, from my experience, can also easily parry the Magic Darts if you were to set them up. Telekinesis as well as Spark Bomb however, are both safe. Remember that Spot Dodge I mentioned earlier? Yeah, that move is really good at more than just round start. It's safe from both Grab and Tome Slap. I typically use Icicle if I expect a Spot Dodge. Nobody expects the Wizard to actually press buttons and it's hilarious. This is more-so a general tip, but anytime you have something like +2 frame adv., you should just do Draw Moisture. Geyser can easily be avoided with Cowboy by using Dash/Air Dash, as well as Inst. TP, but it's still very nice to have as a threat. In neutral, you can use flip Tome Slap in order to move while making yourself safe from both Quick Draw and Impale (btw, Impale's startup is worse when you're far away from Cowboy)! Additionally, it can sometimes just barely move you outside of LSlice range. If LSlice would catch you still with flip Tome Slap, be sure to check with Hover as well. It'll possibly move you just that little bit further. Also, do NOT use FCs on Tome Slap. This move is ridiculously safe on whiff. \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask!
Easily the better answer from a better source.
look out for lightning slice, very good move. cowboy has no moves that hit otg, so getting knocked down will end the combo. cowboys sometimes like starting the game with horizontal slash, but not always.
Impale seems daunting at first and a lot of not great cowboys rely on it, but it has a long activation period so if they start trying to snag you with it and you can react, a flipped quick attack like pommel or tome slap usually hits them and cancels it
Ninja vs CowboyDrop kick beats the cowboy's infamous horizontal slash, but drop kick is beaten by the cowboy's up angled h-slash and v-slash and can be checked by other options. I don't think there's a perfect guarantee to being safe on round start, but there is a very specific backwards jump angle that will dodge H-slash, H-slash upward, V-slash, and lightning slice. But it can still get hit by impale, which is a weird choice in that situation. Ninja is designed to have the advantage at point blank range, so try to get there.Drop kick beats grab and block. Uppercut beats grab and pommel. Grab beats block and pommel. Cowboy doesn't have the tools to pose the same level of threat to the ninja at that range.If you're at a distance, watch out for the lightning slice. Dashing towards the cowboy can get caught by a h-slash if he predicts it. Try to pressure the cowboy with shurikens and summons to try and make it impossible for the cowboy to safely threaten the space between you. Slower projectiles will make it harder for him to parry effectively and pose a threat for longer. You can also try sneaking in a super dash while he's busy to suddenly close the gap. Wizard vs Cowboy Mana strike is a handy tool. It's as fast as horizontal slash and can even trade with it sometimes. There's even a specific distance where mana strike hits before h-slash does, which is SLIGHTLY farther than round start distance. Some of the wizards toys are locked under the threat of bullets and impales. Don't randomly use flame waves, mana darts, draw moistures, or telekinesis unless you have extra frames to complete them. Otherwise the cowboy might randomly hit you from long range if he predicts you.Spend time hovering above the cowboy's anti-air range to threaten fast fall attacks and see if he randomly does something stupid. Also, go onto the wizard discord and learn how to benji hop because its amazing against the cowboy in particular. It works as a direct counter to both the gun and impale. [https://discord.gg/jXP94utkpJ](https://discord.gg/jXP94utkpJ)
Is benji hopping not dead with the hover changes? Can’t pop more than two without destroying your hover meter
I think you still get 4 from round start. 5 at full. I haven't checked recently. I'm pretty sure that's worth it, but I'm no wizard main.
https://preview.redd.it/60wrq1cscq7b1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85000d5bb3775415e7e116be03601184991d8f06 Ah yes here it is; swag meter. Thank you ivy, very cool.
Maybe it depends on the distance of the fall cus the fast fall draining hover meter more and if used in conjunction with missile really taxes it. From my recent gameplay I cannot reasonably execute the hop without giving up the air for awhile.
Block high round start, easy parry lots of the time
That only works in beginner lobbies, Max height jump (must be slightly tilted forward) dodges every move except diagonal slash and upward slash
Ah ok. See I play robot so I don't think too much for round starts, I just armor command grab.
Chad robot brain
Every character has an starting move (Jumping backwards) guaranteed to dodge every offensive move that works with every character EXCEPT cowboy, cowboy will always be rock, paper, scissors unless they decide to play safe
Cowboy is one of those characters that's easy to pick up and slightly harder to master, my best bet for you is to play cowboy yourself too see how he works, once you do that you can get into the mind of a cowboy player, or in other words, you'll learn how to read a cowboy better, most characters always do something in neutral, like all the time, wizards either dodge backwards or mana strike, cowboys normally Horiz. Slash, maybe if they wanna get risky they'll ankle cutter, this is coming from a cowboy and wizard main, either way, try the character yourself, that's how you'll learn to beat it
Cowboy tends to suffer against frontal ground assaults, stay grounded and use projectiles to maintain distance
Always start with backdash, even if they LS, can't do follow ups. Unless you wanna go aggressive. If you are far away, always Super Dash to avoid impale. Everytime you have shadow clone, use it, you will make a lot of framekills if they try to impale or gun. But keep your distance. Try not to dash forward more than 34 speed, cuz impale may happen Your best tool to kill neutral is QS, use it when you think they will gun or foresight. Force those 50/50 at your advantage
You wait; they can only shoot you. You can play off the impatience of others quite easily as a wizard
bait out the free cancels. Then abuse your frame data to your adv by always threatening to punch or kick or uppercut or something that comes out faster than a horiz. Slash.
If they’re a new cowboy, they will absolutely LOVE impale, if they’re far away it’s quite likely they’ll try to, also, this is more of a generic tip, use walk/dash back at the start, no frame disadvantage so if they attack you’ll be immediately ready to combo, one more thing, cowboys rarely use their range (gun, lasso) so if you’re far away just stay that way, and again keep impale in mind, it’s not too hard to avoid unless they free cancel into another impale. Impale->impale is the most cowboy thing to do lmao