79 Pyra

First appearance :
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017 - Switch)

Pyra and Mythra form a unique duo who combines speed and power. Knowing when to swap from one to another at the best moment will be the key of victory and will make the difference between a bad and good player. Pyra represents the strength of the duo, with limited mobility but destructive attacks that will spread fear among her opponents.

Characteristics

Strengths

Versatility and adaptability
Quickly rise %
Humongous kill power
Range of her moves
Great juggle and ledgetrap

Weaknesses

Exploitable recovery
Lightweight
Bad mobility
Punishable moves

Matchups

Favourable

Not enough tools

Slow zoner

Unfavourable

Rushdown

Good in edgeguard

Whiff punish

Stages

Favourable

Good platforms to combo
Up B can be used as a combo finisher

Unfavourable

Central platforms that can bother combos
Slopes that bother the ledgetrap

Pro Tips

Features

You can switch between the 2 characters anytime by pressing Down B. . Where Pyra is all power and slowness, Mythra is all weak but fast attacks. Switching from one to the other in a match offers great versatility to the character, allowing her to adapt effectively to each situation encountered. Generally, you'll choose Mythra to choke your opponent and inflict damage before finishing him off with Pyra. Finally, each character has different stats and their own particularity. Pyra has a devastating Forward Smash

Aegis

Pyra Mythra

Best moves

SIDE B

: Pyra throws her sword in front of her and cannot attack during this time. This is an attack that takes up a lot of space and that deals a lot of damage while keeping the enemy at a distance and thus regaining the neutral. A good move that can also be useful in edgeguard or ledgetrap but also to ensure your return to the field. You can also use it to footstool your opponent or even to cancel the animation where she takes her sword back in order to start a combo.

AERIALS

Forward Air is very powerful, Back Air can be cancelled with a short hop, as for the Up Air, which makes those attacks, useful tools to land. Indeed, it can be completely safe, since it leaves only 4 frames to the opponent to react while taking some distance, as it is amazing for juggling. Finally, Down Air is a great spike with huge range, and it can even start combos with the Up air or the Up Smash.

UP B

Up B is also interesting since it can 2 frames, has great killpower and great vertical range. It can also be used as a combo finisher, especially on low platforms. However beware, because the move comes out slowly, so that it is not a great out of shield option since it can be beaten by almost any fast move.

FORWARD AND UP SMASH

Forward Smash and Up Smash are also great options despite them being Smash attacks. Indeed, these are risky attacks since these are slow, but the Forward Smash isn’t that slow and deals massive damage, making of it a great whiff punish tool. And concerning her Up Smash, it is a great combo finisher after A Down Air, but also a great out of shield option.

DOWN TILT, FORWARD TILT

Down Tilt can start combos on almost every aerial move until pretty high percent while letting a reasonable distance between you and your enemy. Forward Tilt is also very good on ledgetrap, a bit like Ike’s one and can cover a neutral getup and even lead to a kill.

NEUTRAL B

Neutral B is also very interesting since it allows you to kill really early, as the move deals immense damage both to her opponent’s percentages or shield. It is important to know that Neutral B is a multi hit, making it hard to punish, knowing that the last hit pushes the opponent pretty far away.

Contextual Options

Quick Moves

Safe on Shield

OOS Options

Jab

Down Tilt

Up Tilt, Neutral Air, Forward Air

Up Air

Forward Air, Back Air, Down Air, Down Tilt

Forward Tilt

Up B

Neutral Air, Forward Air, Jab

Up Air

Before leaving

Last tips

SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NICE

You should not limit yourself to one character and learn to master both Pyra and Mythra. Even if both characters are usable and viable in solo play, not switching from one to the other means using half of the character's potential and losing adaptability. Plus, the character is designed for you to do combos and to raise the percentages with Mythra and then to switch to Pyra to kill and survive.

DO NOT BLUNT YOUR BLADE

You'll have to be careful not to jam on the opponent's shield too much and not to constantly attack. Pyra can't hit as safely as Mythra so you can't constantly wave her sword around like you would do with Mythra, you just risk to put yourself in a bad position.

DRESS YOUR CAMPFIRE

Also, it's best not to go edgeguard with Pyra. She does have powerful attacks that can allow you to quickly grab a stock. However, her recovery is far from incredible, so if you get hit, you can quickly find yourself in a complicated situation, or even quickly lose a stock. So be careful not to use the Side B too much offstage because you can't use the Up B for a long time afterwards.

In a nutshell

For Pyra and Mythra, the pleasure will come from their easy handling and their complexity. Indeed, although they are easy to learn, especially for players who are used to control swordsmen and/or fast characters, the character reveals all her complexity as you master her and as you master switching from one to the other. Mythra offers the comfort of a character who is free to move around and to perform combos, while Pyra inflicts a lot of damage and psychological pressure, which contributes to make the character very pleasant to play. To sum up, you may have understood that Pyra and Mythra are very interesting because of the freedom they can offer to the player who controls them and because of the richness and the complexity they will reveal as time goes by.

Going furhter

For more informations and to progress faster