Josie strategy

Neutral is when both players can act freely. It makes up most of the game, so learning how to play it is critical. There's no point mastering all the combos and setups if you can't use them in an actual game.

This page contains a brief overview of this character's key neutral tools followed by advice for putting them together.

Josie’s moveset and gameplan change quite a bit depending on the range she’s fighting in.

Close Range Strategy

Some people think of Josie as a mixup character but that isn't really the case. Her best angles of attack are with conditioning, timing and reads. Josie does not have highly threatening lows so she struggles to open up a turtling opponent if they deny her the chance to get her counterhits and frame traps going. The worst that Josie can do to a standing opponent in neutral is D4 or 1+4, neither of which pose a significant danger for the opponent.

Up close, Josie wants to smother and confuse the opponent into swinging with her branching, fast startup strings peppered with counterhit traps. She can maintain a very low risk/low reward pressure with her variety of barely minus on block pokes. Those pokes are mostly lows and highs. Eventually the opponent is going to try and interrupt or duck. Get a good sense of their duck timing and retaliation because Josie's mids are somewhat bad and you're going to have to play around that weakness. Her mids define the character and how she must be played. She has no -1 or -2 13f mid poke. Her 13f mid is -8 on block and +3 on hit with two unsafe extensions. Her 14f mid puts you in SWS which is just as much a mixup for yourself as it is for the opponent. Her 15f mids are punishable and launch. Finally at 16f she starts getting safe mids, but they are still somewhat unsafe since they are slow.

The slow mids are part of the mind game Josie needs to play against skilled opponents that know the matchup. She really needs to get counterhits or punishes to get any real damage off the opponent. If the opponent knows that, they won't press into you. Their hesitation allows Josie to go for slow, plus on block mids like CD1+2 and F,F3, which incentivizes the opponent to try to interrupt. Now Josie can go for her counterhits to catch that retaliation and open them up. How well you can execute on this mindgame is going to heavily influence how high you can go with the character.

Close Range Moves

Move	Hit Level	Frame Data	Damage	Additional Notes
1	High	10f (+1, +8, +8)	7 dmg	Generic Jab with good range
1,2	H,H (Jails)	10f (-1, +7, +7)	15 dmg	Probably the best generic 1,2 in the game thanks to its numerous followups. Only the maddest of lads would challenge this on block. The D4 F3+4 mixup is actually better on block here because you will never catch anyone with F3+4 on hit.
1,4	H,H	10f (-4,+7,+7)	17 dmg	Duckable, but it's very rare someone does.
DB1	H,H	10f (-4,+7,+7)	17 dmg	Duckable, but it's very rare someone does.
B1,1	Smid	10f (-5, +6, +6)	5 dmg	Classic dickjab. Josie relies on dickjabs more than most characters due to the massive gap in her mid pokes.
B1,2	H,M	11f (-5, +6, +6)	22 dmg	Great noncommittal string to throw out. Even if the first hit gets ducked, the 2 catches most punishes which guarantees the rest of the string.
B1,2,4F	H,M,(CD)	11f (-6, +5, +5)	22 dmg	This transition shouldn't be used heavily as it is launch punishable on block, but when used sparingly it can catch opponents off guard and incentivizes them to press buttons against B1,2.
B1,2,4	H,M,M	11f (-10, +6, +6)	34 dmg	Not a natural combo, but this does combo into the final hit of the string, the high wall bounce. Learning to hit confirm this is highly rewarding. Mixing up between this and the crouch dash transition can really stress an opponent out and get them to make mistakes.
4	High	12f (-7, +6, Launch)	16 dmg	Josie's fastest CH launcher that leads to a very damaging combo. As such, this may be Josie's most important move. Its range is better than it looks, so it can be a great keepout tool against slow approach buttons.
2,4	H,H	12f (+11, +21g, Launch)	30 dmg	Every option on hit is uninterruptible except CD1+2 and CD3. The power of 2,4 varies between godlike when the opponent is not handing SWS and CD well and suicidal if they are.
F2,3	H,L	12f (-11, 0, 0)	23 dmg	The F2 strings can all be low parried, but that requires the opponent is very on the ball. When used sparingly this is a good poke.
3	Mid	13f (-8, +3, +3)	11 dmg	Not a good poke, but its her fastest mid so it'll have to do.
3,3	M,H	13f (-1, KND, KND)	33 dmg	Natural combo on counterhit. Just throwing this out is very dangerous since the second hit can be ducked. If your opponent is not ducking this string then abuse it. A -1 on block CH string is incredibly strong if you can get away with it.
3,2	M,M	13f (-12, +5, Minicombo)	29 dmg	Natural combo on counterhit. Use this to convince your opponent not to duck 3,3 or interrupt 3,2F.
3,2F	M,(CD)	13f (-12, +4, +4)	11 dmg	This transition is launch punishable on block. 3,2 can help discourage people punishing this transition, but don't get too crazy with this. On hit, only CD1 and CD4 are uninterruptible.
B2	High	14f (+1, +7, Throw)	17 (39 on CH)	A bit slow for a high, but it is plus on block and people don't expect that. After the counterhit throw, df2 will catch most of their options if they try and get up.
Df4	Mid, (SWS)	14f (+11, +16g, +16)	15 dmg	Go to mid poke for the neutral. Leaves you in SWS. SWS1 is guaranteed on counterhit.
F1+2	High	14f (-5, Minicombo, Minicombo)	20dmg	Low risk whiff punisher and keepout tool for when you're not sure you'll land the hit in time.
UF4	Mid	15f (-13, Launch, Launch)	13 dmg	Most of the time this is Josie's superior 15f launcher since it does 3 more damage than DF2 and low crushes in exchange for .3 less range.
DF2	Mid	15f (-13, Launch, Launch)	10 dmg	Go to launching whiff punisher. The additional range makes this better suited to whiff punishment compared to UF4. The animation for this can sometimes slip under jabs and other highs. Unlike most of Josie's close range tools, this will catch opponents' SSR.
D4	Low	15f (-10, +1, +6)	8 dmg	Staple low risk, low reward, and highly annoying poke. This is great for stressing the opponent out and breaking up their rhythm. The opponent is forced to respect you on hit since you are plus, even if only by one frame. The mind game around this move during a match can get extremely deep. This forms Josie's simplest mixup along with F3+4.
1+4	L+H	15f (0, +11, +11)	5 (H), 7 (L)	Simultaneous high and low hit makes this a low poke which can't be hopkicked. If only the low hits then SWS1 is guarenteed. See the setups page for more on how to make that happen. One common setup is when the opponent is sidestepping left. The low tracks well to the left but the high does not.
3+4	High Homing	16f (-9, KND, Screw)	27 dmg	Josie's close range homing tool. Great at the wall since it splats. This is Josie's highest damage single hit move other than the unblockable. Always be on the lookout for times where you can catch the opponent with this move, especially on counterhit.
F3+4	Mid	16f (-7, KND, Launch)	23 dmg	One of Josie's best mid checks. This will strongly punish crouchers and mashers while staying safe on block. This and D4 make up Josie's simplest mixup that you can collect whenever you find yourself at plus frames with nothing better to do.
DF1	Mid	16f (-7, +4, +4)	14 dmg	Not so much a move you want to use as it is a move you have to use. This is a safe poke that catches SSR, so Josie must use this and its extensions to prevent getting side stepped constantly.
DF1,2F	Mid, (CD)	16f (+4, +7, +7)	14 dmg	The best extension to DF1 by far. This is the only crouch dash transition that is safe on block. You can throw this out and have plenty of time to see if your DF1 hit and keep up the pressure with a CD mixup.
DF1,4,2	M,L,H	16f (-7, KND, Launch)	14,12,21 dmg	Not a natural combo, but the final hit is guaranteed if the low counterhits. The low can be mashed out straight away, in which case it is usually fast enough to counterhit people pressing after DF1, even if the DF1 whiffed. It can also be delayed so long that someone low parrying after DF1 will get hit. There isn't really any mixup to DF1 strings beyond timing so don't lean too heavily on this.
DF1,4~4	M,M	16f (-7, KND, Launch)	14,20 dmg	This is the "mixup" to DF1,4. In practice this takes so long to come out that you will rarely hit with it. If someone is consistently blocking or parrying DF1,4 then it's often better to only throw out DF1 and use the mental frame advantage to go for some other move.
DB2	Mid	20f cs6 (-11, KND, Launch)	25 dmg	Josie's best high crush move. It's slow and punishable, so it should only be used when you have the read on your opponent retaliating with a high. Retaliation with highs is extremely common though, so you'll find plenty of opportunities for this move. It's particularly nice as a wall pressure tool since it splats.
B3+4	(SWB)	cs3	N/A	Swayback stance. This stance is Josie's other big high crush option in the neutral. Be sure to confirm a whiff before hitting any buttons out of stance. The majority of time it's correct to just do an empty swayback. For small whiffs like jabs SWB1 is the best option to launch. If you catch a big whiff then you can cancel the stance into crouch dash and use CD2 for maximum damage.

Close range: Close range Josie is a pressure character similar to Hworang and Nina, but not nearly as oppressive. Generally, you want to step right at this range. Everything that isn’t df1, d4 or homing will whiff against SSR here.

Df1, 1, b1 and 3 strings. See their dedicated sections for the specifics of these strings.

4 12f high (-7, +7, Launch) Her magic 4. This move has more range than you might expect, so watch out for this move when she is playing keepout. Pay attention to when your opponent likes to throw this out. It’s among the better 12f magic 4’s in the game, so she is going to be using this move frequently. It’s just a matter of getting a feel for when she likes to throw it out.

Df4 14f mid (+11, +16g, +16) Df4 is closer to Josie’s generic df1 analog than standing 3. It leaves Josie in SWS, so using it puts both you and her into a mixup. See the SWS section for what to do here. Very steppable to the right.

Df2 15f mid (-13, launch, launch) One of the best df2’s in the game. It has great range and can evade some highs during its startup. It tracks SSR but not SSL. In close range it is primarily used for catching steppers and punishment.

D4 15f low basically homing (-10, +1, +6) This low can be very annoying, but its ankle shattering sound effect really oversells the power of this move. It doesn’t do much damage and it’s only +1 on normal hit. What makes it great is that nobody ever punishes this low correctly. You need to dickjab punish, or better yet low parry. Josies love to chain d4's. If you get hit by a d4, then another d4 is probably on its way. If you weren’t counterhit by the first d4 then almost every character has a counterhit launcher that will punish her for trying to chain them. You can also just low parry for a lower risk callout.

1+4 high+low (-13, +11, +11) Covered in the SWS transitions section. Just remember this will punish you for SSL.

3+4 16f high homing (-9, KND, Screw) Josie’s best homing move for the close range. It has pretty mediocre range and is high, so it’s quite punishable if you get the read on them being about to use it.

F3+4 16f mid (-9, KND, CS) Josie’s slower, but mid counterhit launcher. It’s frequently auto piloted as a followup to any hit of 1,2,2. It will counterhit absolutely anything you do other than stand block. People rarely press in that situation though so all the Josie is doing is taking a +9 situation and making it a -9 situation. This is very steppable to the right.

B3+4 Swayback. See the swayback section. Most of the time you see this stance she will do SWB1, which is a high, or crouch dash.

DB2 20f cs6f mid (-11, KND, Launch) Josie's good reward high crush. It is slow and punishable, so you won't see it frequently, but if you're not punishing it then expect to see this move a lot more. Against the wall this move becomes more dangerous as it splats on NH. The CH combo requires a microdash to pick up, so be ready to whiff punish them if they miss the d3,4 pickup.

D3,4 16f low,high (+11, +21g, Launch) Josie should not be doing this string. It is duckable and the window to do so is enormous. The high is only guaranteed if the low counterhit, so duck this whenever you see it. Just the first hit is used sometimes at the end of rounds since it does more damage than d4, but that’s the only time it’s worth doing since it’s -6 on hit.

Mid to long range:

In this range, Josie can transform into a bootleg Kazuya. She has pretty good keepout moves, good whiff punishers and plenty of range. You want to be side stepping left at this range since it beats almost everything here.

Raw CD mixup: See the crouchdash section. CD3 is a really big option here and you will see it frequently.

F1+2 14f High (-9, Minicombo, Minicombo) Josie's 14f punisher and her best whiff punisher when she isn't sure if the punish will land in time since it is safe. I'll go over the oki situation after this minicombo in a later section. Be sure to always tech roll or you risk getting picked up for a full combo. You will see this even more in rage since she can convert into a full combo with rage drive.

Df2 15f mid (-13, launch, launch) The range on this is good enough that it is also useful here. Now it's primarily used for keepout and whiff punishing. Remember to punish this every time you block it.

F4 16f mid (-4, +1, +1) A long range mid poke. This looks like Jin’s f4. The first hit is very good with its range and only being -4 on block. This move is quite linear and is pretty low reward even if you do get hit.

F4,3 16f mid,mid (-10, +1, +1) Josie shouldn't be throwing out this second hit except as a punish. This string is punishable and there's no hit confirming it. I so rarely see people punishing this though.

B4,3 16f mid,mid (-6, +5, +5) Like F4,3 except safe. This is very similar to f4 in that it is a long range mid to throw out in the neutral. This has 3 extensions to follow the second hit, but every single one is interruptible on block so you will rarely see them. Only thing of note is that b4,3,d4 is +3 on hit. It looks like it would be minus on hit so people often press buttons into it. Don’t.

Ff4 16f mid homing (-9, KND, Screw) Josie’s preferred homing move. This move would be as godlike as King’s ff1 if it had any range. If you are just casually backdashing in the neutral then this move will whiff, so be ready for the whiff punish. This launches on counterhit. Her best combos involve immediately dashing in and doing an iWS3. This can be tricky so be ready to punish them if they mess up.

Ff3 24f mid (+6, KND, KND) A slow, but highly plus on block move that forms a bit of a mixup with ff4. Ff3 makes you want to sidestep or interrupt her coming in and ff4 catches sidesteps and launches keepout moves. This move is commonly used for oki, so you may get blasted by it if you wake up ducking.

D2 20f mid (-2, +3s, Launch) Long range counterhit mid. Josie can choose to either be left standing or in full crouch on block and on hit. Unlike other d2’s of this type, this is not plus on block. She isn’t very minus but you do have the advantage. Just be careful following up with highs in case she stays in crouch.