Leif

Leif is a zoner that despite being earth aligned has a gimmick like playing with fire, with a stage presence oppressive to all players involved, himself included.

Leif can be harmed by his own status and stage tools.

Counts down five seconds starting the moment the player receives it. Dealing a melee hit to another player will pass Animus to them and reset the timer. When the timer counts to zero it will detonate, dealing a stunning blow.

Specials and down strong spawn thorns which slowly creep along the stage, lasting until they reach a ledge or wall. They deal no damage but apply Animus. A maximum of 4 can be onstage at once.
Passive: Falling through a platform from either idle or walking spawns thorns behind Leif.

Quickly ascends upward on a pair of gentle wings, hovering for a second at the peak. While hovering, tap down to begin descent. During ascent and descent, you can control your trajectory. Spawns two thorns upon hitting the ground.

Charges forward with the deer’s mask, catching and carrying enemies in its massive antlers. While running, press attack to buck upwards, throwing any caught players.

Used in air: A short dash forward that automatically throws anyone caught, or goes into pratfall on miss.

Plunges a mighty hand into the earth before hurling a massive boulder forward. Creates two thorns at the site of impact. Has soft armor.

Used in air: quickly descends and slams the ground before chucking a boulder at faster speed. Retains soft armor.

Leif dons the wolf mask and howls for a quick, long range radial attack that instantly applies Animus on hit. Applies Animus to self on miss.

Cursed Variant:
Leif tries to scream but finds himself muted, choked, silenced by the ravenous overgrowth.
Occurs if used while Leif has Animus. Thorns explode from Leif for massive damage. Removes Animus at the cost of self damage. If this move is interrupted Leif will retain Animus with only one second left.

If Leif gains Animus during any other special, he can cancel into cursed nspecial. Will not work if he had Animus at the beginning of the move.

• Thorns can be your best friend with proper setup. Charging through thorns using a special move is the easiest way to achieve a cursed nspecial cancel
• Like nspecial, fair has a cursed variant while Leif has Animus. Swings slower, hits harder, but cannot pass Animus
• Animus does not stack. If it were to be applied to a player who already has Animus, their timer is reduced instead
  – From nspecial or thorns: lose 3 seconds
  – Via melee hit: lose 2 seconds
• Uspecial and aerial dspecial can be airdodge canceled, uspecial during hover and dspecial before hitting the ground
• Ftilt has a funny spike sweetspot at the tip of the antlers

Leif Conopen was an aspiring cartographer who sought to become a living legend, mapping out the most dangerous and remote locales the lands of Aether had to offer. And to make his name known he set his sights on the Aetherian Forest, a place where none had returned alive. Eluding the ceaseless watch of both the Tree Dwellers and Wall Runners, he descended to the forest floor. To commemorate his achievement, Leif whittled masks in the likeness of the impressive creatures he encountered there. Something funny to tell tales with back home. But with these newly made artifacts he learned to borrow a piece of the forest’s might, imitating the very creatures whose visages he carved. He gained more than he bargained for when he reached the heart of the forest, where even the flowers have teeth and the trees sheltered an unfathomable horror of twisted flora. Despite being paralyzed with fear and pursued by the forest itself, he managed to escape with his life.

He returned home in Julesvale with that legendary status he wanted; called Conquerer of the Unknown by some and Thief of the Woods by others. Word of his feat traveled far and fast, even reaching the Wall Runners through fools who attempted to do the same. But through the tales told with smug grin and cheerful voice he hid the fear that followed him home. That near death experience rattled him, and as he heard an ancient named whispered through the leaves and sensed a slight pain piercing his chest he felt as if he never truely escaped that forest. But at least he was safe within the walls of Julesvale, where he considered retiring and returning to a quiet life. Until adventure found him once more…

… Defeated, captured, and bound, Leif was brought to the village dwelling in the treetops of that forest he feared, standing before their elder to be tried for his transgression. They saw his affliction and warned Leif that it would cut his life short. His days were numbered. But this warning only confirmed his growing suspicion. With every constricted breath, every phantom pain of thorns closing in around his chest he knew he was living on borrowed time.

The Tree Dwellers feared that Leif was more than a victim of a curse, but a conduit of the forest. Those masks he took are a piece of the forest, fractured but still alive with wrath and hunger, and as long as he had them he was still in the clutches of the woods. And they will not let him go. If he were to succumb to the curse and die, the Runners could very well need to build a second Rock Wall. Leif was sentenced to spend the rest of his days within the treetops. They could take no risks.

As the Tree Dwellers’ first and only prisoner, Leif began to accept his fate. But one night it dawned on him: he cannot hope to add more days to his life, but he could add more life to his days. By the following sunbreak, he escaped. And now he runs, a fugitive to the Tree Dwellers and Wall Runners. He knows the odds are he will never find a way to break the curse, but he can still run to see as much of the world as he can with what little time he has left.

Fspecial ends when falling off ledge. Use uspecial immediately after to keep that horizontal momentum to go flying.

A practical application for the tech mentioned above, a funny nspecial cancel. I can imagine using this to go for an insanely aggressive spike but I’m not that cracked.

If you fall through a platform and immediately fspecial you can get a near instant nspecial cancel. All you need is to have your back facing the opponent and the fastest hands in the west.

Notice how nspecial canceled when hitting the ground? It only does that when canceled into from aerial fspecial. Makes landing it trickier but it can be a combo starter at low percents.

Opponent has Animus and hits you mid dspecial. You armor through it and gain access to that funny nspecial cancel when they pass Animus to you. Also works with aerial dspecial.

• Beta playtesters: irl friends Pigonoshi and Toon, new bestie Spadster, goated writer Seer, and funny dev Krispy
• Support from the ExW community too many names to fit… you guys are awesome!
• And you, for reading and for playing! All feedback is immensely appreciated. Thank you!