So, I tried playing a few more matches online with Filia, trying to get a better feel for her today... It only reinforced my idea that she NEEDS someone to help her get in on characters with large hitboxes/projectiles. I played this Ms. Fortune who was using j.HK every time she jumped, while her head was busy keeping me from doing anything to try and retaliate... It just seems like Filia has no good hitboxes in neutral game. Her aerials seem to lose to a lot of characters who have huge hitboxes in the air... I seriously don't think that she can fight in the air against anyone who is approaching her from the air. She doesn't seem to have any options against aerial approaches. I thought of using her s.HP, but the hitbox is too vertical to be useful as an anti-air, and her DP is just... Her DP. I know it can be cancelled out into Fenrir Drive, but the connecting frames for it are so soon, that if you activate Fenrir Drive after they block Filia's DP, then you're going to be punished.
My main point is, is that characters with large hitboxes have an EASY time getting in on Filia from the air; she doesn't have any kind of hitbox on the ground that is a practical move for an anti-air, and her aerial hitboxes are so small, that she's going to get swatted out of the air by anyone with huge hitboxes if she tries to fight air-to-air with them. Since she doesn't seem to have any practical options for dealing with people in the air while on the ground, this means that it's VERY hard to approach someone who is staying in the air while throwing their hitboxes out. I've tried all I can think of, and the only move that has any sort of success is Filia's DP... But it just sets the pace of the match back to neutral position since she can't follow up on it, other than using super, but that is super risky.
Since I can't find anything within Filia's moveset that can practically deal with people in the air, I'm convinced now that she needs someone else to cover her from people who are approaching from the air. I'm considering Valentine for a teammate, but she doesn't seem to have any move that is practical for anti-air options either. I'm also considering Cerebella as a teammate, since she does have a command grab that catches people in the air, but then the problem of getting in on a zoner comes up. Although I have heard people say that Cerebella has an easy time getting in... I don't think that's true XD. My other option is Ms. Fortune, since her s.HP has a nice big hitbox that can catch someone coming in from the air.
Another thing I want to comment on is how small Filia's hitboxes are in neutral game on the ground. Her longest hitbox on the ground is her s.MP, but, by comparison to other characters hitboxes, it is very very small. Her other hitbox of s.HP is a good move, but it's so risky that if they block it, Filia's gonna eat damage. The fact that her hitboxes are so small makes her problem of getting in even harder, because her hitboxes don't even seem to hold a candle to some other characters hitboxes in the cast.
Sorry for my very long rant X__X. I'm just hoping to theory craft her and maybe find a solutions to Filia's overall problem of getting in on a person who has large hitboxes. I'm pretty sure the only solution is to find an assist that will either cover Filia from people approaching from the air, or someone that will be able to keep opponents at bay long enough for her to get close to them. The only thing now is to find that sort of character.
Also, to all you Filia mains out there, good luck in the game, and I hope to play some matches with you guys XD. That goes for everyone else to! I'm up for a game of Skullgirls anytime ^__^.
EDIT: Also wow, I missed an argument regarding Cerebella? Darn it, why do I always have to miss the drama XD?
