Assumptions
This guide assumes these things:
1: You're interested in improving at Kaya.
2: You have a basic understanding of Brawlhalla's mechanics.
3: You understand and comprehend the English language, and the way in which I use it.
4. You are willing to look past my bad understanding of grammar and punctuation.
Overview
This guide will focus on a number of things, these include:
1) Reasons to Play Kaya
2) Kaya's weapons and options
3) Kaya's matchups vs. other characters and weapons
4) Kaya's Strengths and Weaknesses
5) Kaya in 2s
6) Opposing views on Kaya
Definitions
Nlight= Neutral Light (Light attack with no directional input)
Slight= Side Light (Light attack with left or right directional input)
Dlight= Down Light (Light attack with a down directional input)
Nair= Neutral Air (Light attack while in the air with no directional input)
Sair= Side Air (Light attack while in the air with a left or right directional input)
Dair= Down Air (Light attack while in the air with a down directional input)
Nsig= Neutral Signature (A heavy attack with a weapon while the character is either grounded, or has gravity canceled, with no directional input)
Ssig= Side Signature (A heavy attack with a weapon while the character is either grounded, or has gravity canceled, with a left or right directional input)
Dsig= Down Signature (A heavy attack with a weapon while the character is either grounded, or has gravity canceled, with a down directional input)
Recovery= (An aerial heavy attack without a down directional input)
GP= Groundpound (An aerial heavy attack with a down directional input)
GC= Gravity Cancel (An aerial dodge with no directional input that has either an attack or taunt inputted in the first 15 invincibility frames)
CD= Chase Dodge (A dodge horizontally towards the opponent, with the options to go either up or down, or also diagonally towards the opponent. Only available shortly after the player has hit another player, and before the attacking player turns around.)
Mafia= (An input where one player gets any hit, jumps and immediately chase dodges horizontally towards their opponent and then attacking.)
Reverse= (Turning around before an action)
Autocombo= (A series of combo finishers you can take, at your own discretion)
Wiff= (A missed attack)
Should You Play Kaya?
While i'm aware that I wrote in the assumptions "You're interested in improving at Kaya". I think it is worth it to reevaluate your reasoning for playing her.
Kaya is a legend with two read based weapons, high speed and high defence. In turn she also has low strength and low dexterity. She has a base dex of 4, while she has bow and spear, which have combos that are only available at 6+ dex (Bow Dlight->GP, and Spear Sair->Nlight). Small drawbacks but they're notable. The real issue though does not lie with her stat spread, it's in her signature kit on bow. All the strong bow characters in Brawlhalla have options such as Dlight->Nsig as a kill option on opponents with no dodge. Letting them get relatively easy kills at healths such as 140. This is actually quite important since bow --as we will speak about later-- has quite a tough time killing compared to most other weapons. For this reason Kaya finds herself in an interesting spot along with Yumiko, where you are stuck going for Dlight->Recovery for your onstage kill confirms with bow, which usually kills at 160. For this reason i'd say, if you are interested in playing Kaya for strong bow play, you should choose either Diana or Koji. Kaya's spear on the other hand is quite strong, because spear isn't really kept back by her low dex, and she has high speed, Kaya is able to play a very threatening spear. The real game changer though is her sigs, her sigs can be used in plenty of scenarios on spear that we'll get into later. For this reason i'd say if you are playing Kaya for spear, you might actually be making a good choice. Although I must note that I have heard high-level spear players say that they can feel a difference between high and low dex spear.
Now 2s is a very different scenario, in 2s Kaya can play a very strong supportive role through her immense ground control with bow and Dlight as an anti-air with spear. She can also move fast with her 7 speed, and stay open to assist her teammate at most times, as bow and spear's moves do not keep them stuck in the same place for too long at all. She also takes a long time to die, so that can be quite helpful. In addition bow's offstage threat and easy saves can easily shift offstage scenarios.
As a side note her spear kit is great for 2v2 combos, while her bow is... well it's bow in 2s, and while I have personally made 2 or so 0->death combos with Kaya's bow, I wouldn't recommend it for long drawn out combos.
Stances
Base
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4 Strength
4 Dexterity
7 Defence
7 Speed
Strength
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5 Strength
3 Dexterity
7 Defence
7 Speed
Dexterity
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5 Strength
4 Dexterity
6 Defence
7 Speed
Defence
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4 Strength
4 Dexterity
8 Defence
6 Speed
Speed
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3 Strength
4 Dexterity
7 Defence
8 Speed
I'd suggest to you that you always use Strength stance, as you lose absolutely nothing from going to 3 dex*, and you gain damage.
Defence stance if you're a scaredy cat.
You can play speed stance but all your kill options will kill 10 damage later and it will take more hits to get them to that damage anyway.
Combos
Ordered by difficulty
Bow
Dlight
Dlight->Nlight (All %)
Dlight->Jump->Nair
Dlight->Jump->Recovery
Dlight->Jump->Sair (All %)
Dlight->Reverse Nlight (Only hits if the Dlight was hit at it's closest point)
Dlight->Jump->Dair
Dlight->Reverse Nlight->Jump->Nair
Nlight
Nlight->Jump->Nair
Slight
Slight->CD->Nair (Aerial)
Slight->CD->Nlight
Slight->CD->Recovery (The chase dodge is down and towards the opponent, also has to be aerial)
Slight->Jump->CD->Nair (Grounded) (Yes that is a bow mafia)
Dair
Dair->Nlight (Only at white)
Weapon Toss
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Jump->GC Ssig
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Jump->GC Slight->CD->Nair
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Jump->GC Slight->CD->Recovery
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Backdash->Nsig
Spear
Dlight
Dlight->Jump->Sair
Dlight->Jump->Nair (Jump or CD)
Dlight->Jump->Recovery
Only if you've already used your recovery GC Dlight->Exhausted Recovery (There is no need to jump to make the combo true.)
Weapon Toss
Weapon Toss Down->(wait for it to hit enemy)->Weapon Pickup->Dair (known as eggdrop)
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Nsig
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Dlight->Sair (Highest damage combo)
Autocombo
Dlight combos, and when to use them.
Dlight->Nlight: (Use at white health in order to go for a recovery follow up or read. Recovery is not guaranteed past 0%)
Dlight->X-Pivot Nlight: (Use when Dlight is hit at it's closest range and no other follow up would hit.)
Dlight->Jump->Nair: Use at Yellow->Orange in order to set up for juggles. It is the highest damage option, also the same damage as recovery)
Dlight->Jump->Sair: (Use when it will send the opponent offstage for an edge guard)
Dlight->Jump->Recovery: (Use as a kill option, kills at 160 for most maps.)
Dlight->Reverse Nlight->Jump->Nair: (Use when reverse Nlight hits at 0)To recap
At white: Dlight->Nlight (you can but nair is better)
If it will send offstage: Dlight->Jump->Sair
At Yellow->Orange: Dlight->Jump->Nair
At Red: Dlight->Jump->Recovery
Spear
Spear also has autocombo but it's quite simple
Dlight->Jump->Sair (Unless the others are better)
Dlight->Jump->Nair (If you don't have a jump, you can chase dodge it and still get it true, but otherwise only go for it, if you are hitting your opponent into a wall with Dlight.)
Dlight->Jump->Recovery (Use when it will kill or when you're going for a 0td (there is a 0td that involves spear recovery, I will not be showing it in this guide)
Only if you've already used your recovery GC Dlight->Exhausted Recovery (There is no need to jump to make the combo true.)
Strings
Bow
Slight->Dlight->Autocombo (1 frame at all dex)
Slight->Dlight->Jump->Sair->CD or Jump->Dair
Slight->Read->Slight->Dlight->Autocombo
Slight->Read->Nlight->Jump->Nair->Recovery
Nlight->Jump->Sair
Nlight->Jump->Recovery
Recovery->(GC) Nlight (1 frame at 0) (GC if needed)
Sair->Slight
Sair->Jump->Dair
Dair->(Jump) SairSpear
Slight->Read->Dlight->GC Dlight->Autocombo
Slight->Read->Dlight->GC Dlight->Jump->Sair->CD->Dair
Sair->Nlight->Slight->Read->Dlight->GC Dlight->Autocombo
Dlight->Jump->Sair->Read->GC Dlight->Autocombo
Dlight->Jump->Sair->CD->Nair
Dair->Dair (repeating)
Dair->(Jump) Sair (later health)
Dair->Nair
Sig Options
Kaya Sig Force Data: (Power Stance)
Bow:
NSig: VF 55 FF 75
SSig: VF 55 FF 70.
DSig: VF 50 FF 70
Spear:
NSig: VF 53 FF 70
SSig: VF 55 FF 70
DSig: VF 51 FF 65
Highest to Lowest
1. B-NSig
2. B-SSig, S-SSig
3. S-NSig
4. S-DSig
5. B-DSig
Kaya Sig Damage Data: (Power Stance) (Uncharged)
Bow:
NSig: 25.89
SSig: 26.84 (If almost stacked) 22.71 (If very far away)
DSig: 25.3
Spear:
NSig: 26.03
SSig: 22.71
DSig: 24.00
Highest to Lowest
1. B-SSig-P
2. S-NSig
3. B-NSig
4. B-DSig
5. S-DSig
6. S-SSig, B-SSig-W
Bow
Slight->Ssig (Covers Spot Dodge and if dashed covers away dodge)
Slight->Dsig (Covers Spot Dodge and if dashed covers in dodge)
Slight->Nsig (Covers Up Dodge and if dashed covers Up-Away dodge, also if backdashed can cover Up-In dodge)
Nlight->Nsig (Covers a fast-fall or dodge down at low percents)
Dlight->Nlight->Jump->Recovery->GC Nsig (Covers a dodge down or if the opponent does not jump)
GC Ssig (It's actually a great wake-up tool or wiff punish, used when an opponent moves too far into you, and wiffs a move while you're in the air and or goes for a read. It does kill, and I personally hit it quite often.)
Spear
Nlight->Chase Dodge->(Chase Dodge)->Ssig (Covers if the opponent dashes to the other end of the stage... it happens way more than you think, so I go for this read often and I also hit it often)
Slight->Nsig
We need to talk about Kaya Spear Slight->Nsig it's important, every player who has ever ran into a Kaya should understand this option. The reason that this option is so important is because if you use it right, it can read every dodge and i'll explain how in a second, now it's not like it hits every single dodge if you just press Slight->Nsig, but it works like this.
Slight->Nsig is pretty much a 33/33/33 meaning there is a 33% chance to catch the dodge of your opponent, if you go for a certain read. And the reads go like this.
Slight->Nsig (immediate Nsig after Slight)
This option reads the dodges: Up-In, Up and In
Slight->Charge->Nsig (Nsig charged for a short amount of time)
This option reads the dodges: Down and Down-In BUT if charged for only a few frames longer it can also read spot dodge
Slight->Dash->Nsig (A forward dash done right after the Slight)
This option reads the dodges: Up-Away, Away and Down-Away
Now personally, as I was taught by Remmy, I don't really go for reads, I go for reactions, but sometimes it is acceptable to go for a dodge read, especially when you have a read that covers 3 options. So i'm not 100% adverse to going for this read. By the way, even players like Remmy (when I talked to him) didn't know you can dash before the Nsig in order to read the dodges away, so if you think someone might read your read, dash the Nsig as that usually is the only set of safe dodges.
Dlight->GC Nsig (Inescapable on an opponent with no dodge, better kill confirm than GC Dlight->recovery.)
GC Ssig (I've used this in both 1s and 2s to catch people I juggled at the top of the map, who assume since I am spear, I am unable to read them at a far distance in the air. It kills quite early as it is the 3rd highest force option on Kaya.
in addition I have very recently started doing GC Ssig while on the wall to catch those on the stage, since I started it recently I only recall hitting it once, but remember that it is an option.)
GC Dsig (Just like GC Ssig on Bow, it can be used as a wiff punish, it is a bit worse as if you miss it, you will fall to the stage directly below where you started.)
Kill Options
Bow
(excluding edgegaurds)
Slight->Nsig: 120 (Read)
Slight->Ssig: 120 (Read)
Slight->Dsig: 120 (Read)
Dlight->Recovery: 160
Dlight->Nair: 180
Dlight->Nlight: 200
Nair: 200
Nlight: 210
Spear
Slight->Read->Dlight->GC Nsig: 100 (Read)
Slight->Read->Dlight->GC Dlight->Jump->Recovery: 110 (Read)
Slight->Read->Nsig: 120 (Read)
Weapon Toss->Dlight->Weapon Pickup->Nsig: 130
Nlight->CD->Ssig: 130 (Read)
Dlight->Jump->Recovery: 150
Dlight->Jump->Sair: 170 (Center stage)
Strengths
Bow
Now i'm not going to pretend to be the authority on Bow play, but I have played Kaya all the way to 2196 elo. So I must be doing something right. Either way first and foremost I must say everything I've learned about bow has come from these three places. My Coaching Sessions with Remmy part 1 and 2, and Remmy's Bow Guide, which I cannot praise enough, as every time I watch it, I take away more things that I could improve upon. Either way I can say what I've gathered from Remmy's teachings here.
Bow is a weapon that excels at having priority over it's opponents, because it has Dlight to out priority opponents on the ground and Nlight for ones in the air, it idealistically should not be able to be contestable in it's area of control.
Bow is best played on the ground, as you lose access to Nlight and Dlight when you are not on the ground, and therefor enemies are able to get much closer to a bow player than is preferable. As a bow player your best position will be below your opponent as most weapons besides spear have a very weak ability to contest players below them, but this is even worse for other weapons when it comes to bow, because bow does not have to put itself in threat due to the disjointed hitbox of Nlight, because Nlight hits diagonally and stacked it can also hit opponents directly above the player.
The topic of Bow Nlight moves us to juggling, juggling is when one player hits their opponent upwards and continues to do so for a period of time. Bow is extremely good at this task because it has Nlight and Nair, both of which have hitboxes above the player that also send upwards, allowing them to perpetuate themselves. Again, It is better to look at part 1 and 2, and Remmy's Bow Guide but I'll explain how to juggle here. When juggling you must keep track of multiple things, these things are, your opponent's options such as dodge and jumps, whether they are fast-falling or staggering their landing. How close they are, where they are able to land, and if they are in red. With all these things put together we can start talking about specific scenarios and what to do in them. First fast-falling opponents.
Sometimes when players get hit upwards, they seek to immediately fast-fall in order to regain stage control and or reset to neutral. The response to this is to "call out" their option, if they are going to land before you can react, it is best to Dlight you can then Nair them to regain advantage state, and continue juggling. If however they are high enough up you can Nlight them, which is ideal except if the opponent has no jumps, in which you should Nair, as it will completely reset the juggle, and almost completely disallow the opponent to try and move towards the walls.
When your opponent gets sent into orange or red by Nair, it is okay to go for a Nair juggle, where you would jump up directly under your opponent and trace their movement in order to attempt to kill them off the top of the map. Since Nair hits directly above the player and Recovery hits diagonally, you can move from under your opponent, and watch which way they go, if they fall into you, you can Nair, if they move to the left or right you can recovery, and if they jump you can also jump, or simply land and juggle from that position.
Edgegaurding is a more intuitive thing, but there are some general facts about it with bow. Only go for Dair when it is guaranteed and or it will kill and you will not die for going for it. Sair is both easier to space and has more active frames as well as a bigger hitbox, that is closer to the player, making it easier to hit. Now bow GP is interesting, as it is the highest force GP in the game, letting bow get early kills with it, the issue arises with it's small hitbox and slow travelling speed. Which should make it so you only use GP when it is guaranteed (mostly when the opponent has to touch the wall to live) or when it is stringed from Dlight (since it is not true on Kaya)
Spear
Now here I would heed you to take what I say with even more salt, as while I have gotten to diamond only using spear, I would still be the first to tell you that I am not very well versed in the weapon. Yet I am told by Remmy again that the weapon is very easy, and that he is confused on how one could be bad at the weapon, yet here we are. Still though the explanation of how to play the weapon is quite simple.
Nlight: Fast and slightly disjointed, you can dash and throw out this move at enemies spaced slightly away from you, with little chance of getting punished.
Slight: Since it's slow, moves you into a predictable place, and has a lot of recovery and active frames, you should only throw out this move if someone uses their dodge in front of you.
Dlight: You can use this move whenever someone jumps, even quite far from you as dash Dlight goes very far. Dlight can also be used to control platforms from below, and it can be platform canceled to quickly get a hitbox out high above where the player started. Eggdropping as mentioned earlier is a very important combo in spear's offstage gameplay gameplay, in addition I sometimes weapon toss down in order to cover my landings, if the opponent is close to or on the ground though, you cannot pick up the spear and Dair, so you have to use an unarmed move. Lastly, dash Dlight is a very safe option to go for, as it moves you very far and makes you jump, making you extremely difficult to punish.
Nair: I've been told you can use this move constantly, Ethan described it as 'your main aerial poke tool' and then Remmy told me 'spacing would be relevant if Nair didn't hit everywhere' dash jumping nair can be used as a great approach tool as it has a 360 hitbox.
Sair: Sair is not a move I find myself using much, but it is a quite quick move with a disjointed hitbox, do remember that it only has 3 active frames, but you can totally use it as a move to contest your opponents in the air.
Dair: Because the move goes straight down, you can use it as a stacked option besides Dsig, simply jump and Dair. In addition after hitting a Dair, you can both string into another Dair, or you could string into Sair at higher percents.
Groundpound: Can be used as a great wall cover and or gimp tool, since it sends horizontally.
Kaya In General
Since Kaya has sigs on both her weapons that flow well into her kit, going for reads or using sigs to punish is a viable way to play. If used properly, it almost makes up for her rather lackluster bow.
Because of her high defence and speed, she takes a long time to die, allowing her to get sent off the stage quite far, do learn how to recover to stage properly in order to make the most out of your stocks.
Weaknesses
Bow
Bow's major weak spots include it's difficulty killing since --as stated earlier-- it's kill options without including sigs or edgegaurds are:
Dlight->Recovery: 160
Dlight->Nair: 180
Dlight->Nlight: 200
Nair: 200
Nlight: 210
For this reason it might be worth it to play for more edgegaurds and or sig reads in order to get kills.
Spear
Spear to me seems to be a weapon without many weaknesses outside of it's matchups. While it does have a weak offstage game, it's not very relevant to spear's gameplan as the main move it is searching for is Dlight, which only hits aerial opponents. Other than that it's only other issue is having a tough time killing grounded opponents, but since we're playing Kaya and we have Dsig, this isn't much of a problem. See the matchups section for where spear really starts to have issues.
Kaya In General
Besides the weak bow kit, Kaya doesn't really have many drawbacks, she can get 5 strength for no real loss, so she isn't really a low damage dealer. And the combos she looses are negligible to useless.
Matchups
To all the people reading this to counter pick me:How very rude of you
Winning matchups
Bow and Spear are more or less in the same boat in their advantage states, both wanting to stay at a distance from their opponents and below them on the ground while their opponent is in the air, because of this they fair the same against the same weapons more or less.
Bow & Spear: Gauntlets
Since gauntlets have a very close range kit, while bow and spear have prominent disjointed grounded hitboxes, gauntlets find it difficult to get in on good bow and spear players. Not only can they not get in on the ground though; they also can't really approach/contest the air either, as bow and spear nair are amazing aerial stacked options, and bow Nlight and spear Dlight can contest jumping opponents so well, gauntlets only have one good option, GC Dlight. Due to that bow and spear are both winning against gauntlets.
Bow: Blasters, Hammer, Spear
The issue with all these weapons is priority, none of these weapons can be in the positions they usually want to due to bow's priority. Bow Dlight out-ranges blasters slight, hammer slight, and spear Nlight. Bow beats hammer and spear aerially because it's nair starts up fastest.
Spear: Lance
I find the lance vs. spear matchup a heavily spear favored one. Since spear has nair and Dlight, and lance is very weak on the ground spear's strategy is to not be vertically matched with lance, using nair to poke and catch lance's Sairs, while using Dlight to catch lance in a bad position.
Spear: Katars
Now I don't much see how spear beats katars, but I've been told it's the case, I definitely feel it might be true because as we will talk about in a second, bow is losing against katars, so when I switch to spear I feel more comfortable.
Losing Matchups:
Bow: Katars
Katars stand at an interesting angle against bow, where it can actually find itself managing to out-range bow with dash-slight, a feat which most other weapons cannot achieve. For this reason a bow player must actually seek to move closer to a katar player, where it seeks to float above the katar player while looking for punish opportunities, the desired move to punish being the Dlight.
Spear: Bow, Axe
Interestingly enough spear and bow, two very similar weapons have a bow favored matchup against each other. It's actually quite simple really, spear will get out prioritized in most scenarios, on the ground it's Nlight loses to bow Dlight, in the air it's nair loses to bow nair, as bow nair is quicker to come out, and offstage it gets out prioritized by bow recovery, Dair and Nair. All in all the spear in order to preform in this matchup, must seek to have it's moves come out first so that it does not get out prioritized.
As for axe, I will tell you that i'm not entirely sure why spear loses to axe as I don't have too much trouble in the matchup, but as I recall Ethan saying it is the case, I will include it.
Kaya vs Ember + Ragnir
For these reasons i'd say that Kaya's worst matchup is against Ember and Ragnir, because Ember and Ragnir can counter both Bow and Spear at the same time, you can usually find yourself in a losing matchup where you have to make great plays in order to win.
Map Picks
Since Kaya is a legend with low strength and weapons that have a bit of a tough time killing, map picks are quite important to winning games with Kaya. In this section i'll be explaining how I both play around maps and strike maps in tournament striking.
Playing On Certain Maps
Kaya's weapons are ones that can control a lot of space both vertically and horizontally, and that's what is most important to me. Bow and Spear's ability to control the most amount of space and escape from it's own disadvantage states. For instance, Bow is a very strong weapon when played on the ground, but it's worst position is when it is in the air above it's opponent. This is because Bow does not have any way to contest an opponent directly below in, while it does have GP, it's slow and tiny, so it's best to land far away from your opponent or take the walls. Which is why, when you end up on a map that has platforms, you must use the platforms to your advantage, land on them when you're getting juggled and when juggling opponents, use said platforms to reset your options. Bow Nlight and Spear Dlight can cover every platform except for the ones on Miami Dome, and in addition, Spear Nsig can reach the Miami Dome platforms from the ground.
Striking In 1s.
When I strike maps in tournament I firstly start off with maps I consider counter-pick maps, these are maps that Kaya has a very strong disadvantage on. And I think these are the maps such as (In worst for Kaya to best) Demon Island, Apocalypse, Crystal Temple, Mammoth, Miami Dome*, Great Hall*. Now you might have noticed the asterisks next to Miami Dome and Great Hall, and that is because I choose which of those two maps to ban based upon my opponent. If my opponent is using a weapon like Spear, I will hesitate to pick Great Hall, as it is a heavily spear favored map due to the platforms. In addition if my opponent plays a weak offstage weapon such as lance, or blasters I would be inclined to take them to Miami dome where there is no ability to rotate under the map. And therefor if I were to edgegaurd my opponent, they would not be able to make an escape. Another major factor that was involved in those map choices were the ceilings of those maps; because Kaya's biggest issue is her tough time killing, and both her weapons want kills off the top, I seek the maps with the lowest ceilings, which is why my #1 map is Small Enigma, followed by Small Brawlhaven. While the biggest counterpick is Demon Island in 1s, and Shipwreck Falls in 2s. As they have the highest ceilings.
(Although if your opponent is playing lance, I would recommend picking Great Hall, because of the prominence of the platforms which... if you didn't know are great against lance because lance is very weak at covering threats above and below itself.)
2v2 Combos
Examples of what kinds of 2v2 combos that can be done with Kaya
Kaya Bow into Blasters
Kaya Spear into Bow
Kaya Bow into Gauntlets
Kaya Spear into Yumiko Hammer
Kaya Bow into Yumiko Hammer
Kaya Bow into Cassidy Hammer
2s Comps
Since Kaya is a character that is tilted towards a more supportive role with her Bow Spear and high defence high speed stats. She is best paired with a legend that can put out a lot of damage and easily secure kills, for this reason I'd say she's best paired with legends that have weapons like: Hammer, Axe, and Greatsword. I've personally ran Kaya with: Yumiko, Cassidy, and Kor. I wouldn't recommend the Yumiko as double bow felt very strange, but currently I'm running Kaya-Kor with my 2s partner.
Now I won't be telling you how to play 2s, i'm still learning how to play the gamemode myself, and therefor I feel like this guide from Remmy would help you a lot more.
Other Opinions
Other Player's Thoughts on Kaya
FriscoKid20
(Top 5 highest xp Kaya globally)
"Okay well Kaya I think has some of the best survival stats in the game, because of high speed and defense. The weapons she has also go well together and lastly she is underrated in ranked, I rarely see Kaya in ranked."
Boomie
(2020 2v2 World Champion, 2019 2v2 World Champion, 2017 2v2 World Champion)
The Most Slept On 2v2 Legend
Eggsoup
(2nd Place 2018 2v2 Spring Championship, 2nd Place 2017 2v2 Summer Championship)
My Thoughts on Kaya
Remmy
(2017 World Champion, The Best, G.O.A.T, ???, Handsome)
Guide maker speaking now. I've talked a lot to Remmy and I can tell you myself that in 1s, Remmy does not like Kaya as a pick, while he has picked Kaya in 1s in order to counter Sandstorm's Lin Fei and Xull picks, he lost both sets and sees her inability to get strong sig punishes on opponents with no dodge as a major drawback. The best example of Remmy's opinions on Kaya would have to come from his coaching sessions with me, which you can find here and here. Because they're the easiest to access recordings of Remmy talking about Kaya that I care to find. Both are over an hour long, but if you're really looking to improve at Kaya you can go there to find the mistakes I made earlier in diamond, while understanding some options better and matchups Kaya encounters at higher levels.
But in 2s it's a whole different story. One day as I was practicing my Hattori because I thought that she was a better pick for 2s since Bow is a selfish weapon that doesn't help your teammate. I got a ping in Remmy's discord, he was happy to announce to me that, not only was he going to play Kaya in 2s, but that it was because Kaya is --and I quote--"...Hattori's speed with 7 defense and better sigs". Now while I was shocked not only because Remmy had been telling me that it was not worthwhile to play Kaya; but also since he then went on to tell me that Phazon was also going to play Kaya in 2s. Now while he restated that he would not be playing her in 1s, her new selection by two very highly skilled players goes to show you how much of a good pick she might actually be in 2s.
High-Level Kaya Gameplay
If you're looking for some Kaya gameplay to emulate, as Remmy would say.. look no further than
Remmy: Remmy vs. Sandstorm DreamHack Dallas, Remmy vs. Sandstorm Spring Championship 2020
Impala: Impala vs. Boomie Spring Championship 2020 , Impala vs. Santy Spring Championship 2020
Blew: Blew vs. M for Mini Spring Championship 2018
Double Dime: Cosolix vs. DoubleDime BCX 2020
T1FF4NY: T1FF4NY vs. Isidroo Winter Championship 2018
And if you're looking for non-professional Kaya gameplay you can look to.
Me: Me getting coached by Remmy part 1, Part 2
TLDR
In Summary
Should You Play Kaya:
She has a good spear and a below average bow, you can use the sigs a lot if you like them.
Stances:
Play Strength Stance
Sig Options:
Learn Spear Slight->Nsig, otherwise they're quite intuitive.
Strengths:
Stand far away from opponents, use your long range and disjointed hitboxes, don't jump on Bow unless you have to.
Weaknesses:
It's hard to get kills
Matchups:
Beats Gauntlets, Blasters, and Hammer. Loses to Katars, Axe and Bow
Map Picks:
Pick maps with platforms and low ceilings.
2s Comps:
Pick a heavy-hitter that can get kills easily for you to support.
Other Opinions:
Kaya is an underrated choice that is great in 2s
Conclusion
Thanks to:
Francisco, for his input on Kaya.
Remmy , for teaching me Bow and most of the high-level knowledge I learned.
Ethan , for teaching me Spear.
Koda and Mursai , for labbing my 2v2 combos with me
Andrew , for acting as the target audience for the guide
BMG, for the VODs used, and the game.
And thank you for reading.
Changelog
May 28th 2021:
Removed Dlight->Dair->Nlight->Nair combo, as it now has a 6 dex requirement.
May 7th 2021:
Updated character count for Reno.
August 9th 2021:
Updated autocombo section to more accurately depict bow's options.
Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2419008735
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