Melty Blood: Type Lumina’s Edmond Dantes, King of the Cavern is none other than the avenger known as The Count of Monte Cristo from the Fate/Grand Order mobile game. The character is also the king of versatility in the fighting game, focusing on corning the opponent to trap them into a burst of damage through his black flames and superhuman unarmed combat.
Playing Dantes means first knowing that this jack of all trades has slow, sluggish movement speed, slow buttons, and startup, and is better to be played on the ground only. Despite these drawbacks, The Count of Monte Cristo has high damage and health, air and ground zoning projectiles, and specials that let him transition from midrange poking to a pressuring rush-down with grabs mix-ups. Maintaining spacing in air-to-air combat and understanding his backdash and air backdash will help solidify gameplay with Dantes.
Understanding Count Of Monte Cristo’s Normals
The Count’s ground control can specifically be taken advantage of with his heavy normals. Besides his jumping heavy, all of Dantes’ heavy normals are large and good options for combos. His neutral heavy uses his cape to deliver 2 hits and the second hit takes a large step forward. This neutral heavy can be used to help push people into the corner and then reverse beat (or combo) into your neutral lights. The low heavy in his moveset is extremely useful for its range with 2 hits as well. You can usually clash with Dantes’ low heavy or simply beat out other pokes, but be warned. There is significant pushback from Dante throwing out his cape, so you do not want to use this normal without a good game plan for your ground spacing. Neutral heavy attacks are going to be a go-to for confirming hits, while this low heavy can help you to change up your blockstring or rely on zoning to build creative momentum in the match.
Use both his light normal and crouching light for easy combo chains to start. As for Dantes’ low medium, while the recovery time is not the best for poking, high damage can be obtained by using this crouching move for starting a combo because it is a good frametrap tool, which synthesizes with The Count’s arsenal.
You will want to rely on an aerial medium for regular approaches with instant air dash, due to its better hitbox and startup. It is safer to be certain that his stubby air light will actually hit. The charged version of his air heavy might not see much use either. It is risky to use it as an aerial poke, but the advantages include an improved hitbox and more damage with its use.
The Count of Monte Cristo’s command normal offers a better retreat option than his own movement at times, but it should be used with caution. The back heavy uses Dantes’ cape to slash and then do a large backstep. The backstep is great for positioning yourself to control neutral but comes at a cost. The first hit of the command normal lets you cancel into your air specials, but opponents can fatal counter you for the airborne time of frames 7-21. The second hit of your back heavy can be canceled into ground specials after it lands.
The anti-air The Count has from diagonal heavy stands out as one of the best launchers in the game. You get a fast and long reach that also makes you invulnerable to air moves starting from frame 5. Try using it to start a combo off because of how you’ll be rewarded through bigger damage.
Mastering His Specials/Moon Skills
“Flames of Love and Hate” is a staple in how balanced Dantes’ kit is because of this being a beam special. The light version is a combo tool for approaching or extending your combos, while the medium and heavy version serve as a poke and combo ender respectively. The medium 236 (or quarter circle forward) will be the main version used for neutral, and this beam can even beat out the character Aoko’s beam due to the speed of its entry. All versions of “Flames of Love and Hate” make great tools for pressuring the opponent on knockdown, but the meter used from the heavy version is best saved to end a combo for its damage. Use the moon skill version (with forward medium and heavy) to catch people without guards as a poke or to also end combos.
The aerial projectile allows the character to make use of floaty movement and stalling, as well as utilize tricky poking. You will want to rely on the change in aerial movement more than the firing of the beam as damage. This is because of the steep diagonal incline, so aerial “Flames of Love and Hate” is better used to stop yourself or opponents in midair to help you combo.
Another standard great move for any fighting game is Dantes’ dragon punch special performed through 632 light, medium, and heavy. “Vengeful Conflagration” can reach decently into the air, so use the light version for combos and the medium one for a reversal. The heavy version with a meter can end combos.
“Furious Hellfire” is one of the unique specials for Dantes due to the multiple hits’ (or rekka input) that it uses for the final input through the light version. You definitely want to put time into mastering the move because of its utility to push into the corner. The multiple hits’ (or rekka input) light version is used for canceling on whiff (or missing the hit), while the medium input is an overhead, and the heavy version a grab. Unfortunately, the speed of the grab mirrors Dantes’ sluggish movement and can really result in being countered if your opponent is blocking, so don’t rely on it for your block strings. “Furious Hellfire” is perfect for extending combos as long as your hits are guaranteed. Be careful doing a medium “Furious Hellfire” (with a back quarter circle) alone because it can hurt if you miss to recklessly throw this out just for the movement you make on the ground.
Dantes uses an afterimage with “Afterglow’s” 214 (or back quarter circle). “Afterglow” is interesting for trying to bait your opponent from the light version’s afterimage, which sends out your clone and keeps you in place. The heavy version is especially reliable for ending your aerial combos and ensuring you leave that airspace with dealing some damage. The move can serve as a decent mobility tool once you get use to alternating between the light and medium versions. The moon skill version of “Afterglow” also offers Dantes some much-needed aerial combo options or initiations since the speed of his moves are so slow. After it lands, you can keep the falling enemy in the air with your beam projectile “Flames of Love and Hate” or go for some decent damage with a quick back quarter circle heavy for the metered version of “Afterglow”. That way you get a clean knockdown and can continue on the floor, where Dantes works better.
“Revenge is Mine” is his EX special only move that causes a burst of beams in the surrounding area, after Dantes smashes the ground. It’s great move to catch people off guard rushing towards after you’re knocked down because of how long the beams last, and the blasts even reach the top of the screen and behind Dantes. You’ll be able to recover quickly after performing the move, so use “Revenge is Mine” on block.
The Count of Monte Cristo has an aggressive super move due to it being a grab performed after he rushes about a quarter of the screen forward. “My Vengeance Never Dies” can confirm damage just throwing it out if your opponent is off guard, but it’s better used to end a combo. Take advantage of the grab initiation tool when you’re hitting the enemy’s with your combo, so they have no choice but to dodge the grab if they don’t want to suffer from some free damage. Combine this approach of Dantes’ super with Heat mode activation, which is an unblockable and hits in all directions. That way you can regenerate health, gain a 10% damage boost, and unlock access to his grab super all at the same time to maintain steady pressure. Heat activation is slow, like Dantes, but comes with a greater reward for him due to his high health and preferred ground gameplay to begin with.
While doing damage with The Count of Monte Cristo takes some practice for landing longer combos, his high damage output and pure versatility of all the game has to offer balances him out. On the plus side, his sluggish movement and heavier pace allows you to get a more controlled feel for reacting to all the fast-paced action of Melty Blood: Type Lumina as a fighting game.
