Electrode

Presenting our entry for the Rivals of Aether Extended Workshop Pokéjam, Electrode! Use this rushdown ball Pokémon and his trusty Voltorb to electrify the competition!

Electrode can send out a Voltorb with Neutral Special. By hitting it with any normal, strong, and even some special attacks, the Voltorb becomes engulfed in electricity, making it an active hitbox that can extend combos and provide a bit more range before disappearing.

By pressing and holding Fspecial, Electrode absorbs up electrical energy from the atmosphere, eventually building an overflowing amount of it which can be stored by pressing the parry button. When he’s fully charged, his movement dash speed increases and his strong attacks and Fspecial get enhanced with increased kill power and range. These benefits come at a cost however, as Electrode becomes more susceptible to damage and is easier to send flying while he’s overcharged, not to mention the damage he incurs expelling so much charge all at once.

Electrode pulls out a Voltorb before tossing it forward. This serves not only as a way to get Voltorb onto the field, but also serves as a projectile tool to harass opponents with at mid range.

With an electrically charged wink, Electrode creates a small field of electricity around it and detonates the Voltorb. The small field around Electrode acts similarly to a shine, serving as a short-ranged launcher that is jump cancelable on hit. Meanwhile, the explosion hitbox stuns for a small time, which allows for horizontal combo extensions.

Electrode builds up electrical energy before rocketing forward with an electrically charged tackle. This move launches Electrode up on hit, allowing for powerful combo starters that are useful for high-risk plays. However, missing the move causes Electrode to go into pratfall while in the air. If you hit Voltorb with Fspecial, it bounces both Voltorb and Electrode, allowing you to more safely approach.

Overcharged version – Wild Charge: Electrode blasts forward in a violent shroud of electricity, aiming to smash into the opponent with great force. This move travels significantly further than base Fspecial while also packing a huge punch. However, Electrode takes significant recoil damage for using and landing this move, making it even more risky to use than the base Fspecial. Use it in scenarios where you want to destroy the opponent in style.

Electrode builds up electric energy before blasting upwards. If he hits an opponent while rising, he summons a ring of lightning and slams it down on the opponent, spiking them violently into the abyss while restoring his ability to use Uspecial again. This move can be angled to the left or to the right to give your recovery more horizontal coverage if needed.
If a Voltorb is active, holding the special button causes Electrode to lock on to its location and home in towards it rapidly. If he hits the Voltorb, it gets spiked downwards in an electrified state, granting Electrode same advantages as if he hit an opponent.

Electrode tenses up and manipulates the magnetic fields around him. On its own, this stalls his momentum in the air while allowing him to jump out at any point during its duration. If a Voltorb is active however, Dspecial pulls it and Voltorb together, allowing you to both move the Voltorb to a more advantageous position while also giving Electrode a boost in mobility. This is particularly useful in a recovery scenario, allowing you to pull yourself up before using Uspecial to bounce off an active Voltorb.

Electrode builds up energy before unleashing a powerful Shock wave in front of him. This attack doubles as a strong close range kill move and as a moderately strong short ranged projectile, making it useful at a good variety of ranges.

Overcharged Version – Zap Cannon: Electrode builds up a dangerous amount of energy before unleashing a violent blast of lightning like a cannon. The overcharged version increases both the moves kill power and damage as well as the projectile’s range, making it a powerful ranged kill tool that’s not to be trifled with.

Electrode hops while building up electric energy, unleashing it all in a large burst of lightning around him. This attack packs both solid horizontal coverage as well as an impressive vertical reach, making it useful as a high-powered anti air. It is strongest on the upward reaching thunder bolt, making it very dangerous to jump in on him while he’s using it.

Overcharged Version – Thunder:A violent storm cloud forms above Electrode’s head, unleashing a massive bolt of lightning down from the heavens above as he slams down. The Overcharged version increases Ustrong’s vertical reach to comical levels, being almost unrivaled in terms of vertical coverage. The move’s kill power also gets buffed, making this massive bolt incredibly effective at sniping opponents out of the sky.

Electrode jumps up into the air before dropping rapidly to the ground, erupting into a large explosion as he lands. Acting similarly to Shovel Knight’s Dstrong, this serves as Electrode’s fastest and most evasive strong attack, being a solid option to go over low hitting strikes before crashing down on the opponent’s head.

Overcharged Version – Explosion:Electrode builds up a dangerous amount of energy before dropping rapidly to the ground, unleashing a tremendous explosion as he lands. The Overcharged version is his most powerful kill option by far, dealing massive damage and killing opponents earlier than any other option he has. Do be careful though, since the high endlag upon missing leaves him incredibly vulnerable.

Electrode hops while attempting to hit opponents with his head. If you press the attack button again after this action, Electrode builds up electrical energy before launching into the air, letting lose a flare of electricity all around him. Both the first and second variants are useful combo starters, leading to solid damage on hit while covering a good amount of air space. Discharge itself can be directed either left or right, allowing him to cover various angles effectively.

Electrode creates several walls of light below him as he falls down. If Electrode hits the ground during this move, he breaks the screens beneath his weight. Acting similarly to Hodan’s Nair, Dair is a solid landing tool that can be held for as long as you want until he hits the ground. The Landing hit in particular is incredibly useful for starting combos if it hits, though is quite vulnerable if he happens to miss. Use it sparingly to catch opponents off guard.

This normally has a very weak hitbox, but when overcharged, you perform a Kamizake-like Explosion which deals lots of damage and kills opponents very early.

Enjoy the character! We had a blast making him and hope that others will enjoy him as much as we have over the course of his development. Feel free to give any feedback in the comments or in the servers we’ve listed below.

Join Seeds of Aether and The Lotus Collective, two development servers where you can check out more updates on Electrode and contribute to the future of this boy.
Seeds of Aether: https://discord.gg/U3xSFXp
The Lotus Collective: http://discord.gg/r6pchSU3YX