Oleander
Story: A Unicorn from the magical land of Foenum, she has set off to save her world from the coming of the savage Predators with the powers of dark magic, despite being rejected by her own kind. She tried to bring the fight into the Hold, the dimensional prison of the Predators, but has instead discovered a strange world of sapient bipedal beings with malicious Predators of their own. Coming to the Killer Instinct world might have been a mistake but this is just the opportunity Oleander has been looking for. Whether they stand on four legs or two legs, Oleander shall prove that the shadowy might of Darkness can be used in the name of good.
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Combat Traits
Knowledge Points: Oleander learns new spells and upgrades old ones when she spends time reading her book gathering Knowledge points. Reaching a number of knowledge points will level Oleander up to a maximum of six levels. At the start of the fight, her medium and heavy specials will come out as the light version and can be combo broken as such (linker versions of specials work normally regardless of level). Oleander retains her knowledge level and total points collected when between rounds regardless of whoever was knocked out.
Number Boosted Enders: Oleander’s combo trait, All of Oleander’s Enders have additional bonus tools and functionality that is based on the number of combo hits in either total, multiples, or percentage . For Example, Oleander’s Dark Trap resource ender will grant her a number of knowledge points equal to the total number of hits of the combo at the end of the ender.
Knowledge Levels:
Level 1: Start with all normals, light specials, Shadow moves, Shadow counter, throws, & both dashes.
Level 2: Medium specials unlocked, and Horn Dusk unlocked.
Level 3: Heavy specials unlocked, and Umbra Stamp unlocked.
Level 4: Light specials upgraded, Dark Trap can be used midair for more juggle opportunities, Throw range increased.
Level 5: Medium specials upgraded, Teleport can be used midair, movement speed, dash speed, and dash distance increased.
Level 6: Heavy specials upgraded, Damage on all moves increased.
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Normals: Oleander attacks with the kick buttons while her book, Fred, attacks with punch buttons. Normals to note are crouching MP which is Oleander’s starting anti-air that causes flip out to airborne opponents, Jumping HP is an excellent cross up and both standing MP, MK, HK, are excellent pokes.
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Command Attacks
Study: 3 Punches (Hold to extend): Oleander sits down and reads her book of dark magic, gaining Knowledge points at a rate of 5 knowledge points per second. Oleander is vulnerable to attack when reading.
Chain Combo: LK->MK->HK (Standing or Crouching): A three hit Them’s Fightin’ Herds styled chain combo that can be canceled into Launcher at the end.
Launcher: Forward + Heavy Kick: Oleander does an attack launches the opponent into the air and into a juggle state. Launcher is jump cancelable and is unlocked right from the start.
Horn Dusk: Forward + Medium punch: Oleander slowly slices the air in front of her with a spark of darkness at the tip of her horn. The move is a three hit overhead so it must be blocked high. Horn Dusk is unlocked at level 2.
Umbra Stamp: Back + Heavy Kick: Oleander does a two legged kick with both of her hind legs. Staggers opponents on hit and is throw invulnerable during the startup frames. Umbra Stamp is unlocked at level 3.
Forward Throw: LP + LK
Back Throw: Back + LP + LK
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Specials
Dark Ball: QCF + punch: Oleander fires a ball of dark energy. Light version fires one ball straight forward. Medium fires a rolling dark energy ball that has to be blocked low. Heavy fires an arcing shot that has a parabolic trajectory that is good for covering air space. When upgraded all versions travel faster and explode on contact for multiple hits even on block. Acts as a Battery Ender with number boosted damage.
Dark Trap: QCB + punch (Air Ok when level four or greater): Oleander lays a circle of darkness on floor that activates when an opponent is above it, either standing, walking over, jumping etc. All traps vanish after they attack. Light version when not upgraded electrifies the ground shocking grounded opponents, and when upgraded the electricity becomes bigger and can juggle airborne opponents. Medium version is an anti-air trap that when not upgraded fires one bullet of darkness upward and fires three when upgraded. Heavy version activates a vacuum attack that recaptures (putting airborne opponents into a standing hitstun state) opponents, hitting once when not upgraded and three times when upgraded. Dark Trap can be used as opener if the opponent is hit at the start of the move (similar to Kan-Ra’s swarm), a fast linker that has multiple hits (5 as light, 6 as medium, and 7 as heavy), and as a ender Dark Trap serves as Oleander’s resource ender gaining knowledge points based on the total number of combo hits.
Horn Joust: QCB + Kick: Oleander charges forward and attack the opponent with her horn. Light hit mid and has lower body invincibility when upgraded, Medium has Oleander attack the opponents’ legs, hits low, and upper body invincibility when upgraded, and Heavy has Oleander jumping upward instead serving as a start-up invulnerable anti-air and puts foes in juggle state when upgraded. Horn Joust act as an opener, carry linker, and wall splat ender with number boosted knockback every five hits, but as an opener only the light and medium versions act as openers while the heavy version does not.
Teleport: DP + Kick (Air OK when level five or greater): Oleander vanishes in a cloud of darkness and reappears at a position depending on the button press. Light is the corner of the screen that is behind her, medium is the corner opposite to her, and heavy is the middle of the screen. When upgraded all versions leave after images of Oleander in the other two positions to confuse the opponent. Acts as a hard knockdown ender with number boosted knockdown duration.
Shadow Moves
Shadow Dark Ball: QCF + 2 Punches: Oleander opens her tome and fires a large dark energy laser from it. The laser hits six times and knocks opponents down.
Shadow Dark Trap: QCB + 2 Punches: Oleander channels a large dark circle which discharges its power immediately and into a large amount of ground for 10 ultra-fast hits. Can be used as an opener in the same manner as regular Dark Trap, and as a shadow linker but it is very easy for the opponent to break if done so as there are no gaps between hits.
Shadow Horn Joust: QCB + 2 Kicks: Oleander envelops herself in Dark Energy and charges forwards for 5 hits with 8 frame gaps between each hit. Shadow Horn Joust is projectile invincible and serves as an opener, carry shadow linker, and acts as Oleander’s shadow counter move (MP + MK, when in block stun).
Shadow Teleport: DP + 2 Kicks: Oleander vanishes and attacks with four Horn Joust after images at the opponent’s position, even if they are airborne, that come from front and behind with Oleander herself reappearing for the final fifth hit. Serves as a shadow ender with number boosted small knowledge gain (3 knowledge points for every five hits) and is unsafe on block.
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Instinct mode (HP + HK): Friend of the Shadows, Oleander conjures a shadow image of herself behind the opponent at an equal distance (unless the foe is in the corner). The double duplicates all of Oleander’s attacks and fires the same projectiles and traps (The clone’s Dark Trap and Shadow Dark Trap specials will not have the opener hitbox), and splits Knockdown Value between the two of them (in short double hits for the same Knockdown Value during a combo) but briefly vanishes when Oleander uses an ender and reappears a short time later. All knowledge gained during Instinct mode is doubled, allowing Oleander to level up very quickly.
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Ultra Combo: QCB + 3 Punches: A 29 hit combo which Oleander showcases her magic prowess and unleashes the powers of darkness to finish off her opponents.
Ultra Ender: MP + MK during or after Ultra Combo: Oleander lays her book down and slides it forward so that it takes a gigantic bite out of their opponent.
Stage Ultra QCB + 3 Kicks: Only usable in certain stages, Oleander finishes off her opponent using the hazards in the environment.
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Stage: Woodland Grove
Oleander’s hometown in the land of Fœnum. It is a forest of large trees converted into homes for the unicorns with branches and canopy woven into religious like patterns with curtains of natural light and non-sentient creatures such as squirrels, chipmunks, and birds frolic about. The Unicorns pay no heed to the violence in front of them and try to go about their business.
During an Ultra Combo, The stage quickly turns to night as a plume of darkness erupts from the central plaza causing the unicorns to quickly take shelter in a panic. The darkness then envelops the flora and non-sentient fauna of the Woodlands mutating them with a beautiful bio-luminescent glow.
Woodland Grove’s stage ultra has the victor knocking the opponent into the central plaza only being launched into the sky by a single eruption of darkness.
