Moves:
Normal Shot: Flash Shot: A standard buster shot, now with extra hitstun. Flash Man can have 4 shots on screen - it'll be difficult for your opponent to dodge all of them. Deals 2 damage.
Special 1: Flash Gatling: Flash Man stops in place, and fires off 6 shots in rapid succession in 3 different angles, costing 5 EP. These do 3 dmg and hit through opponents. This attack can be aimed upwards too. In the air, Flash Gatling functions as a double jump - Flash Man fires 3 bullets downward, propelling him upwards. It costs 3 EP and does 3 dmg. Keep in mind you can only use this once every time you become airborne, unless you get hit - then you can use it once again.
Special 2: Time Stopper (TS): The one you've been waiting for. Time Stopper costs half of your total EP (14 EP), to freeze your enemies in place. If you hold up or down when starting Time Stopper, you'll get a shorter/longer Time Stopper respectively, with a shorter/longer start up as well. Time Stopper freezes enemies in their current state - however projectiles are not affected, so you'll still have to dodge those. Flash Shot, however, when fired in the Time Stopper state, is frozen as well, and gains the combo state. If the opponent is hit, they will be unfrozen and be able to act.
Strategy: Flash Man's NS has enough hitstun that you can use Up Time Stopper before they recover. This lets you land shots while your opponent is frozen. In Time Stopper, Flash's NS doesn't move, but combos. The simplest and easiest combo is to walk up behind them and create a line of NS's, hitting them into it with the last one. Or you can face them, start walking forward and hit them with the first, then hit them with the others.
Strengths:
- Successful Time Stop Combos net massive damage - if you have a full EP bar, you can TS, combo them, then TS again while they're reeling from the first combo.
- S1 covers quite a large area, so it might be useful to use it to finish off an opponent. It's expensive though, so you're usually better of saving for a TS.
- With good timing, you can TS on your opponent's respawn, just as their HP has completely filled. But too early and you won't be able to do anything, wasting EP. Also quite a few characters can just be invincible immediately.
- You can also fast or normal TS on your respawn, protected by respawn invulnerability. Though again opponents can protect themselves.
- You don't HAVE to hit NS to TS, though its safer to do so.
- Fast Wavedash is great on flats.
Notable Matchups
Weaknesses:
- Live by the Time Stopper, die by the Time Stopper.
- Traps, summons and body hitboxes are annoying, since they can prevent you from getting close to the opponent. You should consider them when deciding to TS.
- If your shots overlap in TS, they won't combo, but they can hit more than once, though I haven't found a use for that.
- Combos are hard in enclosed spaces. Not impossible, but really hard.
- EP huffer.
- Struggles against characters who just hit hard, like Tark or Magnet.
- Hard Man - don't TS him, he has permanent super armour. Just use S1, wavedash away, and don't get dived.
- Top Man - his NS is a trap, he has 3 of them, and he has frame one invincibility when grounded. Good luck.
- Splash Woman - if on her spout, you need to note if she has taken a hit since she has risen. If she hasn't she won't fall, and only recoil backwards. You'll have to adjust combos accordingly - throughout the combo she'll stay on the spout.
- Proto Man - crumples like paper. If you can hit him from behind his shield and cat, that is. Also his reflect to charge shot combo is easier against you because of your mega hitstun NS. He can't hide forever though.