[PTE] Vilgax Basic Guide

Amaterachu1 · Feb 20, 2024

I've come to conquer this wretched (sub)forum.
Vilgax is a pretty ridiculous character right now, with many of his attacks on average dealing 14% (the minimum % to generate the maximum cubes a move can make, 4). This comes at little to no speed debuff cost, as Vilgax has no trouble moving around and on top of that Vilgax has a huge sword that can sometimes even be deceptively large as seen in his infamous down knockout attack. Vilgax has always been a strong contender for #1, parallel to Aku and Grim. I personally think he IS #1 if Samurai Jack 2 still remains a legal stage as Vilgax not only has a strong damage output (and therefore high cube generation) but his PTE is one of the strongest in the game, being capable of taking 2 stocks (out of 3) in a single use on Jack 2.
Here is Vilgax's entry to the PTE wiki, but I will still list statistics here and do a little more insights on the attacks.
https://punchtimeexplosion.fandom.com/wiki/Vilgax
There will also be a lot of PTE terminology in this section. Refer to this as a small guide.
https://smashboards.com/threads/pte-terminology-guide.516979/

Vilgax is a sword user! That means plenty of ranged attacks!
- Vilgax also comes with the unique projectile property, laser! This goes through projectiles and won't clash with moves and can even sometimes break shields. Although being a projectile, it will still break/disappear when it hits an opponent.
Vilgax has an attack with invulnerability, down signature.
For some reason Vilgax just deals an absurd amount of damage. You’ll often be dealing 50% damage within 2 seconds.

Neutral
Vilgax swings his sword from right to left (two hits, 4%, creates 1 power cube), then left to right (two hits, 5% creates 1 power cube), and performs an overhead strike (6%, creates 1 power cube).

If used, use it as a disruptive. Otherwise untrue jab. Easily punishable if the opponent is on ground.
Jab 3 starts scaling at 50%

Running
Vilgax shoulder bashes forward. Deals 14% and creates 4 power cubes.

Decent. Can coast off of ledge fairly well and be used in falling aerial combos. Deals way too much damage for what it does and can even break through some attacks.
Starts scaling at 134%

Up
Vilgax raises his sword above him. Deals 14% and creates 4 power cubes.

Great up tilt. Basically a second up knockout attack with how much damage it does. Comes out pretty fast and covers a huge vertical range. It’s basically Marth’s up smash but instead it’s a tilt and your new up smash is a slightly slower falcon punch.
Starts scaling at 62%

Down
Vilgax swings his sword across the ground. Deals 13% and creates 3 power cubes.

Another decent tilt that can be used as a quick poke or something. Sends outwards
Starts scaling at 139%

Throw
Vilgax reaches out with his left arm. Deals 9% when thrown.

Starts scaling at 16%

Side
Vilgax slashes in front of him. Deals 19%~28% uncharged~charged. Creates 4 power cubes.

Pretty slow attack. Can be avoided rather easily but still deals pretty great damage and can be used for predictions. This attack is mostly used to send opponents off stage as down knockout deals more damage and sends upwards
Starts scaling sometime between 1%~4% (Vilgax deals too much damage for this to matter, just know it won’t scale at 0%)

Up
Vilgax uppercuts, creating an impact effect. Deals 28%~38% uncharged~charged. Creates 4 power cubes.

Deals huge amounts of damage and is his earliest kill move, at the cost of having much shorter range. Comes out at a decent speed especially for what it does.
Starts scaling at 0%

Down
Vilgax slams his sword in front of him and behind him. Deals 21%~31% uncharged~charged. Creates 4 power cubes.

This move has a “tipper” which is mostly just the edge of his sword or the dust particles from his sword slamming on the ground. This deals 25% minimum.
One of Vilgax’s most infamous attacks. Creates a huge janky hitbox that’s bigger and covers more range than it appears. Has a lingering hitbox on top of that so incoming enemies will get hit even if they hit you out of a certain frame of the move. Vilgax’s most popular move in competitive gameplay so far.
It makes a decent ledge guard option due to the really large hitbox, and gives a hard time for just about any opponent to recover.
There is also a chance of the attack comboing with itself due to the glitched hitbox dealing a whopping total of 42% damage minimum, but usually going around 46%.
Starts scaling at 1%~4%

Neutral
Vilgax spins, swinging his sword around. Deals 12% and creates 3 power cubes.

Pretty mid aerial too, but covers area around him like any other nair. Ideally after nair hits you want to use side air.
Starts scaling between 169%~181%

Side
Vilgax swings his sword forward. Deals 16% and creates 4 power cubes.

It can easily miss on short or crouching characters, even if you short-hop. Therefore either using down air, or waiting until the last moment to use this attack is one of the ways to combat this.
Forward aerial has trouble hitting smaller characters regularly but is a great option for an approach due to its quick nature, coming out on frame 2. At lower percents it may even be followed up after down knockout or can combo into shield.
Starts scaling at 54%

Up
Vilgax twirls his sword above him. Deals 12% and creates 3 power cubes. Use backwards to hit grounded fighters and follow up with another aerial like forward air or up air again.

Mostly a cheesy juggling move. Deals least amount of knockback out of all of Vilgax’s aerials.
Starts scaling at 123%~124%

Down
Vilgax swings his sword below him. Deals 18% and creates 4 power cubes.

The move technically activates above him, making it almost as good as up aerial when it comes to covering your head.
Down air is the alternative attack against smaller characters where forward air wouldn't hit on the ground, it's not as good of an approach since it has much less horizontal range but it has a decent amount of knockback and does ridiculous damage for an aerial.
Starts scaling at 47%

Neutral

Vilgax shoots a laser from his eyes, aiming down at the ground and sweeping it forward. Deals approcximately 20/3% (or 6.666666667%). Creates 1 power cube.

Laser; while not as spammable as Aku's, is a useful poke tool. Due to it being aimed at a diagonal angle it can't be countered as directly by projectiles, provided Vilgax is at higher elevation.
On the PS3 version, deals 13% and creates 3 power cubes.

Side

Vilgax spins around his sword in front of him as a multi-hit. Deals 8% per hit and creates 2 power cubes. Due to being a false multi-hit, it can be shielded during use even if it connects.

Easily his worst move other than jab. Does jab knockback, however, deals tons of damage for a jab-based move. Can get 48% when directly in front of the opponent. Use primarily as a disruptive attack (when the opponent is in the air, recovering, or using a moving side signature).
This move can be shielded during use which is why it isn’t recommended.

Up

Vilgax leaps at a decent height and and charges upward diagonally. Deals 7% and creates 1 power cube.

Very good recovery move. However has little to no offensive capabilities. Has a huge hitbox that spans between the area Vilgax jumped and Vilgax himself for no reason.
Starts scaling between 46%~48%

Down

Vilgax brings out a shield, giving him temporary immunity to all moves, and destroys projectiles that contact him as a result. Deals 16% and creates 4 power cubes.

Shield of Seagle is a powerful tool as well, as it is good for countering or reading moves due to the invulnerability given during use. It comes out faster than down knockout but is easier to counter if missed.
Starts scaling at 14%

Vilgax transforms into his true form, resembling a giant octopus of sorts. During the PTE, this form can be controlled, allowing you to move around and fly. Anyone in contact will take 10%, creating 2 power cubes.

With PTE dancing, this PTE becomes one of the best ones in the game as it eats away at shields and just carries opponents way out off stage. Vilgax is one of the only characters that can just whip his PTE out with no repercussions.
Vilgax comes equipped with one of the best PTEs in the game as it either gets a lot of percentage on the opponent or a free kill. In this essence to competitive play, Vilgax really only needs to take off 2 stocks himself out of 3. On Jack 2, he has the potential to take 2 stocks in a single use! In addition, due to Vilgax's high damage output he will farm his PTE faster than others no problem.

Vilgax is an incredibly strong character as he is basically a character with normal speed and high damage. Anyone with similar traits with speed will likely struggle against him unless they have a projectile which gives them some decent chances against Vilgax. Anyone who plays safely will likely do better than characters who focus on rushdown such as Blossom or Samurai Jack.

As always, feel free to ask questions or for clarifications!

[PTE] Vilgax Basic Guide

Amaterachu1

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