GENERAL OVERVIEW
At his core, Fulgore is a zoner with multiple types of projectiles to keep the opponent away and a teleport and uppercut to help him if the opponent gets too close. One of the keys to using Fulgore effectively, though, is managing his meter. It is absolutely crucial to maximize your use of Charge Reactor by setting up situations where it is safe to do so. Additionally, Fulgore has incredible mobility via his Plasmaport, which you can use either defensively or offensively. With full meter, his walk speed is faster and his dashes get more distance, allowing him to adopt a much more aggressive play style. Further, once you save up to full meter, the game changes as soon as you have Instinct available because any whiffed attack or jump from the enemy turns into 40% damage from Devastation Beam.
Be careful about using too many Energy Bolts, as this will quickly give your opponent full meter. Close distance quickly with Blade Dash, and once you’re up close mixup Gravity Strike overhead with crouching Medium Kick or Light Eye Laser. Energy Bolts are unsafe on block up close, so be sure to special cancel into Light Eye Laser or Light Blade Dash when looking to break your opponent’s defense.
Lack of meter can be a death sentence against frame-trap-heavy characters like Jago. You will have to save meter for Shadow Counter and definitely maximize your usage of Charge Reactor. If you find yourself out of meter, you may have to use your Instinct just to get meter, which is unfortunate but sometimes necessary.
NOTABLE NORMALS
Crouching Medium Kick is easily Fulgore’s best normal because of its great range, leading to easy Opener opportunities. Standing Medium Kick has the best range combined with great startup speed; however, it does recover a little slowly. Fulgore’s jumping Medium Kick is a great crossup tool, especially when mixed up with jumping Heavy Kick. Jumping Medium Punch is good for air-to-air situations. Fulgore’s sweep, crouching Heavy Kick, advances forward, giving it more range; however, it is punishable on block. Standing Heavy Kick gives a hard knockdown and also gives Fulgore time to use Charge Reactor.
BUILDING METER
Fulgore has three ways to build meter, the primary of which is by using Charge Reactor. Because Charge Reactor is completely vulnerable, you will want to find situations where you can use this safely. Next, Fulgore builds meter by using his Triple Doubles in combos. Each time Fulgore uses a Triple Double, he gains 1 PIP of meter, allowing him to potentially use three Shadow Moves in one combo. If you take the first life bar of your opponent mid-combo, be sure to use as many Triple Doubles as possible to build meter! Finally, Fulgore also builds meter by activating his Instinct, as it continually builds meter.
USING CHARGE REACTOR
Because Charge Reactor is completely vulnerable, you will want to use it in situations where it is guaranteed. One of the best ways to use it is after a throw. If you successfully land a throw, you can quickly buffer in the Heavy Charge Reactor and gain 3 PIPs of meter. Another great way to charge is by ending a combo with a Launcher Ender and then charging the Heavy Charge Reactor. If you use the Energy Bolt Ender mid-screen, you will easily get a full Heavy charge and then some. If you use the Eye Laser Ender, you will need to end your juggle with standing Heavy Kick to get enough pushback to charge. After a sweep with crouching Heavy Kick, you can also get a Light Charge Reactor in, but you have to be quick, though you’re probably better off going for some meaty pressure. Another perfect place to use Charge Reactor is after a successful Combo Breaker—the hard knockdown gives you enough time to fit in at least a Medium Charge Reactor safely.
When used in juggle state, Shadow Energy Bolt is also useful for using Charge Reactor. Because it holds the opponent in the air for a while, you can use the end of this juggle to charge longer. The farther away you are when you hit the Shadow Energy Bolt, the more meter you will be able to gain, basically allowing you to regain the meter spent on that Shadow Energy Bolt.
USING PLASMAPORT
Fulgore’s Plasmaport takes a while to get used to, but once you understand you just need to choose where on the screen you want to go, it become a lot easier to use. Because Fulgore is vulnerable and cannot cancel the Plasmaport into another special, you will generally want to use it to run away from your opponent. There are times, though, where you will want to close in on the opponent—for example, while the opponent is attacking with a projectile from across the screen—or after a hard knockdown, if you want to mixup your opponent’s defense before he or she can retaliate. If you end your combos with an Energy Bolt Ender, you can actually Plasmaport twice to confuse your opponent’s defense.
SPECIAL CANCELS
Unique to Fulgore is his ability to cancel certain specials into other specials. You can use this to lock your opponent down, to enforce tighter zoning, or even to uppercut from a distance! (Take a look at the Combo Flowchart section for all possibilities.) In general, though, the only moves that can cancel back into one another are Energy Bolt and Eye Laser. While most specials can cancel into Plasmaport, Plasmaport itself cannot cancel into anything else. Both projectiles—Energy Bolt and Eye Laser—can cancel into Plasma Slice, but Plasma Slice cannot cancel into anything. Blade Dash can also cancel into Plasma Slice, but only on whiff, allowing you to travel across the screen into an invincible uppercut!
When zoning, you will be able to use Heavy Energy Bolt and special cancel it into Heavy Eye Laser to catch your opponent trying to jump over. Heavy Eye Laser into Shadow Energy Bolt is actually very difficult to avoid as an anti-air that leads to Heavy Reactor Charge to regain meter as well.
Up close, especially in the corner, you can cancel the specials into one another to bait out a Shadow Counter attempt. You can keep the pressure up by mixing in Fulgore’s Gravity Strike and crouching Medium Kick as well. To further keep the pressure on, use crouching Medium Kick into Light Energy Bolt canceled into Light Eye Laser. Light Eye Laser is a low attack that gives frame advantage, while Light Energy Bolt would be unsafe on block up close. Gravity Strike into Light Eye Laser is a quick overhead low combo your opponent may also have trouble blocking quickly.
Shadow Energy Bolt and Shadow Eye Laser are the only Shadow Moves that can be special canceled, even into other Shadow Moves! Cancel Shadow Energy Bolt into Plasmaport to cross up your opponent’s defense of the projectiles! If you try to do this with the regular versions of Energy Bolt, the opponent can generally block the projectiles before you mixup his or her defense. For Shadow Eye Laser, canceling into Shadow Blade Dash is the only way to combo from it. (See the Combo section for an example.)
The general rule of Killer Instinct that allows you to cancel Special Moves into Shadow Moves still applies to all Special Moves on block, so be sure to keep this in mind when using all of Fulgore’s other cancels!
USING MOBILITY
When Fulgore has full meter, his movement speed and dash distances are increased. Additionally, you can extend his forward dash by holding the second forward input. Use this to your advantage to put pressure on the opponent with Medium Eye Laser, crouching Medium Kick, Gravity Strike, and Axis Slash. Extended dash right up to the opponent before a quick backdash is a good throw bait, allowing Fulgore to whiff punish into full combo with standing Medium Kick. Multiple backdashes are also very effective once Fulgore has full meter.
ZONING WITH FULGORE
Fulgore’s zoning tools are obviously his Eye Laser and his Energy Bolts. Using just his Energy Bolts, though, will quickly give your opponent a ton of meter, so when controlling space, it’s best to use the Light Energy Bolt. Fulgore’s Medium Eye Laser just out of range of being blocked by the opponent is also very useful to stop projectiles or to stop the opponent from advancing without giving him or her meter. If your opponent tries to jump over either of these options, use Heavy Eye Laser to knock the opponent out of the air, and follow it up with Shadow Energy Bolt canceled into Heavy Charge Reactor to regenerate the meter you just used. Heavy Eye Laser is also useful up close against taller characters like Glacius and Thunder.
TRIPLE DOUBLES
Fulgore’s unique combo mechanic is his Triple Doubles. Wherever you perform an Auto Double in a combo, if you hold down that button, Fulgore will perform a third hit. This third hit is a repeat of the first hit, and Fulgore temporarily goes invisible before performing that third hit. This makes the Triple Double a little bit easier to break on reaction; however, Fulgore can also use this to his advantage by going for a Counter Breaker attempt. For each completed Triple Double, Fulgore will receive 1 PIP of meter.
USING INSTINCT
Fulgore’s Instinct is extremely dangerous for your opponent! First, it constantly regenerates PIPs of meter. Second, with full reactor charged, it gives him access to the Devastation Beam that takes an instant 40% of life from the opponent if he or she jumps or does anything. Third, if Fulgore gets his opponent in a combo, he will be able to land multiple Shadow Moves in the combo, especially if using Triple Doubles to build PIPs at the same time. Of course, these can be breakable, but if the opponent gets locked out, the damage is going to be ridiculous.
Beyond combos, you can use the constant PIP generation to lock your opponent down with Eye Lasers and Energy Bolts. Up close, crouching Medium Kick into Light Eye Laser or Gravity Strike into Light Eye Laser are great options. Make these safer by creating block strings with the special cancels. Since the special cancels also work on whiff, you can use the Heavy Eye Laser to whiff a high attack and bait your opponent into doing something you can beat out by canceling into Energy Bolt or Blade Dash.