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Etalus new
Attributes
Weight:
Heavy (0.9x knockback)
With Armor: Very heavy (0.7x knockback)
Ground speed:
Very slow
Aerial speed:
Slow
Falling speed:
Fast (base)
Fast (fastfall)
Jump height:
normal (base)
normal (double)

Etalus is a heavy character who can control the stage with ice. He is easily comboed due to his weight and size, but his strong attacks kill at low percents.

Attributes[]

Etalus mainly uses his large hitboxes and speed to overwhelm opponents. He focuses on laying down ice to boost his wavedash and dash attack speed. His aerials are powerful killing options and his ice armor gives him both a strong offense and a strong defense.

Etalus usually relies on dash attack mindgames to approach opponents. After laying down ice, dash attack has increased speed and can be jump / wavedash canceled. This allows Etalus to rapidly slide back and forth and forces opponents to guess when he will finally approach. Even though it is tempting to use Forward Special to coat the ground with ice, it is very punishable if the opponent parries. Players should use Forward Tilt and Up Special to lay down ice. Etalus' Forward Aerial can block most attack from the front, so it is his best aerial approach option.

After getting close to opponents, Etalus has many strong moves to combo the opponent. His dash attack can be jump canceled into any aerial. Neutral Aerial, Back Aerial, and Forward Aerial are all good moves to use after dash attack. Etalus' Tilts are all good for extending combos. Up Tilt launches opponents into the air to set up for aerials. Down Tilt can be used as a mixup. Forward Tilt covers a large distance and lays down ice. Etalus' Jab can be useful at the ledge, but should not be used in the center of the stage as opponents can tech after the second hit.

Many of Etalus' moves are amazing for killing opponents. Up Aerial throws opponents downward at an angle and is almost a guaranteed kill when used offstage. Forward Aerial and Back Aerial hit opponents off the sides. Down Aerial is a powerful move that spikes opponents and has multiple hitboxes. Etalus' Strong Attacks all have good knockback and large hitboxes.

Ice Armor is a very important tool for Etalus. To get ice armor, Etalus has to stand on ice and use Neutral Special. Neutral Special has a long startup, so it can only be safely used when the opponent is recovering or has just been killed. After acquiring armor, Etalus is heavier and falls faster. The armor breaks off after Etalus takes 40% damage. Having ice armor gives Etalus super armor during his Up Special and Strong Attacks. This lets Etalus use Up Special to escape combos and use Strong Attacks to counter other attacks. Taking either action will break the ice armor.

Etalus still has a few flaws. First of all, Etalus is a large and heavy character meaning he can be comboed very easily. Players need to DI perfectly and tech roll to escape combos when playing as Etalus. Etalus can also be outsped by characters such as Ori and Maypul who boast incredibly fast moves. Recovering can be a challenge for Etalus as he has to charge his Up Special and he has a slow aerial drift speed.

Strengths[]

  • He is one of the heaviest characters, making him hard to kill.
  • His ice armor reduces knockback and powers up his strong attacks.
  • Up Special can spike opponents trying to edgeguard Etalus if used correctly.
    • Armored Up Special makes Etalus resist all knockback while charging
  • Down special freezes all opponents standing on ice, which lets Etalus deal extra damage and possibly use a Strong Attack
  • His ice makes his wavedash much faster and lets him move unpredictably.
  • Dash Attack is a great combo starter and can be jump canceled, allowing for a ton of grounded movement mixups
  • Neutral Air has a huge hitbox that lasts for a long time, in addition to having immense combo potential
  • Forward Air lets Etalus armor through projectiles and attacks from the front
  • Icicles give him arguably the strongest edgeguarding in the game

Weaknesses[]

  • Large in size, making it easy to combo him.
    • In addition, his ice armor makes him take less knockback, which can make it even easier to combo him.
  • The ice on the stage disappears after he is killed.
  • Opponents can edgeguard him while he is charging his Up Special, or they can just hit him at the peak of the jump. Without an airdodge, his recovery is one of the worst in the game
  • Dash Attack can be punished easily if it is used too often due to its small hitbox that does not cover Etalus's entire body
  • Lacks vertical disjoint, making it hard to hit opponents above Etalus

Techniques[]

  • Dash Attack Canceled Up Strong - Etalus can cancel his dash attack with an Up Strong. This is his fastest kill option.
  • If you jump right before using Down Special, Etalus will use the aerial version of the move which has less starting lag.
  • Air Dodge right after using Up Special to lay down ice around Etalus quickly.
  • Side Special can be used to turn Etalus around in the air if it is in cooldown.
  • The Up Special jump resists projectiles, so it can be used creatively on stage
    • Since Up Special armor starts frame 2, it can be used as a stronger airdodge while getting comboed
  • You can start Neutral Special in the air and still get armor if Etalus lands before finishing the move
  • Press the dodge button and the jump button at the same time during Dash Attack to wavedash in no direction, canceling all momentum
    • This can be used to punish opponents who are trying to time attacks to hit Etalus out of his dash attack.

Gameplay[]

In Game Info:[]

"Etalus can create ice on the ground with his Forward Special, Forward Tilt, and Up Special. Etalus can use his Neutral Special while standing on ice to encase himself in ice armor. Etalus can use his Down-Special to shatter all on-stage ice freezing opponents standing on it."

Elemental Powers:[]

  • HOME ICE ADVANTAGE: Etalus can use his Forward Special or Forward Tilt to freeze the ground beneath him in order to slide across on the icy surface.
  • ARMORED UP: When standing on ice, Etalus can use his Neutral Special to absorb the ice and create ice armor around his body.
  • AVALANCHE: Etalus can use his Down Special to shatter all nearby ice, instantly freezing any enemies who are standing on it.

Moveset[]

Move Damage Description
Dash Attack 7% Etalus slides. The attack lasts longer and covers more distance if used on ice and can be jump cancelled or immediately cancelled into an up strong.
Neutral Jab 4%, 4%, 8% Etalus bites, does an upward headbutt and then slams down with his claws.
Forward Tilt 2%, 2%, 6% Etalus releases an icy breath. The attack covers the floor in a nine-spike-wide layer of ice.
Up Tilt 10% Etalus slashes upward with his claws.
Down Tilt 5%, 6% Etalus does two crouching swipes.
Up Strong 3-4%

12-19%

3% (shards)

Etalus turns his arms into hammers before slamming them together. The attack has an early hitbox that carries opponents into the second stronger hit. You can use this attack after Etalus' dash attack.

The Armored version sends icicles upwards and removes the armor.

Forward Strong 4-6%

10-16%

3% (shards)

Etalus covers his head in armor and then bites forward. The first hitbox carries opponents into the second one.

The Armored version sends icicles sideways and removes the armor.

Down Strong 12-19%

3% (shards)

Etalus turns both of his hands into battle axes and slams them down on either side of him.

The Armored version sends icicles in both directions and removes the armor.

It also has a hitbox above Etalus which deals no damage, knockback, or hitstun.

Neutral Air 7%

5% (late)

Etalus does a belly flop. Can be used as an useful combo tool. The hitbox is active for a long time.
Up Air 11% (4 > 7)

Etalus reaches for a grab above him. If Etalus manages to successfully grab an opponent, he'll throw them diagonally downwards and regain his Up Special.

Additionally, this attack will throw Kragg's rocks diagonally downwards if it grabs one.

Forward Air 11% Etalus punches forward with his fist covered with ice. If the attack button is held, he holds a shield in front of himself that absorbs one hit.
Back Air 9% Etalus turns one of his legs into an ice spike and stabs behind himself.
Down Air 4%, 4%, 8% Etalus does three swipes, the third of which spikes.
Neutral Special 15% Etalus raises both arms and creates a hammer made from ice with his hands and slams it on the ground in front of him. When standing on ice, Etalus absorbs the ice beneath him to create an ice armor around his body. This armor will give Etalus super armor during his strong attacks and his up special, but it will break after he takes 40% damage or more.

He can also consume the armor to enhance a strong attack, giving it more damage and power. Enhanced strong attacks also shoot out ice shards in different directions.

Up Special 8% Etalus creates a spiky ice platform and leaps upwards from it. This attack can be charged for more height. On the ground, it leaves ice 10 spikes wide where Etalus used the move. In the air, the hitbox below Etalus sends whoever it may hit straight downward. Does not put him into special fall. This attack can be cancelled with an airdodge while charging.
Forward Special 2% (x3) Etalus roars, summoning 3 icicles from the sky that fall diagonally forward. They land on the first platform they individually hit first and leave 6-spike-wide ice where they land. Has a cooldown of about 2-3 seconds. If they are parried, Etalus loses his ice armor. Using this move when Etalus still has cooldown will turn Etalus around.
Down Special 4%(leaps)

12%(drop)

8% (landing)

Etalus body slams to the ground, sending whoever the main hitbox hits upward with a very slight angle forward. The late hitbox is much larger and freezes grounded opponents hit by it. On the ground, Etalus leaps diagonally forward and then uses the move. When he lands, a shockwave is released, shattering all ice on the screen and freezing anyone standing on ice when it does.

Etalus can wall jump cancel this move if used near the ledge.

This move can not freezing opponents when they in air or just breakout from ice. It only deal damage.

Stage Info[]

Stage Advantages Disadvantages
Fire Capitol
  • Large stage allows for easy retreating to reset ice and rethink strategies
  • Platforms do not completely ruin Side Special coverage so a good amount of the main stage can be covered in ice as well as the platforms themselves
  • Platforms allow for combo extending and easy Up Airs as well as higher place to hit Up Strong or Down Special for easier kills
  • Paired with the previous point the expansive main stage means that Dash Attack Cancelled Up Strong is very useful
  • Large stage can work to the advantage of campers as well, meaning they can deal more damage from afar with next to no resistance
  • Platforms work against Etalus as well, seeing as he is easy to combo and so this can extend combos against him
  • Very close blast-zones means that Etalus can be easily killed by avid edge-guarders
Air Armada
  • Large stage allows for easy retreating to reset ice and rethink strategies
  • Platforms are on complete edges so Side Special ice can cover the vast majority of the stage
  • Platforms are quite big too meaning Etalus can make use of ice movement there too
  • Platforms being on either side of the stage mean easy Up Air kills off the side and bottom, and height of platforms means easy Down Special kills
  • Lots of space to do sideways combos with little platforms to interrupt them
  • Large stage can work to the advantage of campers as well, meaning they can deal more damage from afar
  • Etalus' lack of an upwards hitting Up Air paired with the fact that Up Strong doesn't reach over the platform, means that Etalus unlike the other characters cannot poke on the platforms from underneath to provide constant pressure
  • Pretty close blast-zones mean easy kills for savvy edge-guarders

Costumes[]

Special Costumes

Background[]

Story[]

"Etalus is a legendary warrior in his native land, the northern continent known as the Ice Barrens. He is one of the last surviving members of the Harbor Guard, an elite battalion that once defended the Hyperboreans, the peoples of the Ice Barrens. The Harbor Guard battled other elemental factions on land and sea in order to protect their coast and keep trade routes open to the Water Merchants in the south.

However, in the past two decades, few from the southern continent of Aether have had any contact with Harbor Guard or any other representative of the north. Most people assume that the Harbor Guard was defeated, and the Hyperboreans had to retreat further inland.

In reality, Etalus and the Harbor Guard left their posts to battle a deadly threat from the northern reaches: the Black Ice. While the Harbor Guard were focused on their southern harbors, creatures of ice and shadow descended on the Hyperboreans in a sudden onslaught of slaughter and destruction. The Harbor Guard rushed, too late, to defend this new northern front. Many brave ice warriors fell. Etalus now hunts alone, stalking the northern reaches for Black Ice. The remaining Hyperboreans have pushed deeper into the tundras to the west, looking for a safe place to rebuild their homes." -Website

Trivia[]

  • Etalus's Down special is officially named "Avalanche".
  • Etalus is the eighth character to be announced, along with Absa. He represents the element of ice and is a polar bear.
  • Etalus's up air was the first command grab in the entire Rivals of Aether roster.
  • When he lands if he has armor, the screen will shake briefly.
  • Etalus is the nickname of the Rivals of Aether community manager, George Rogers.
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