A Killer Instinct Guide for SFIV Players by Infil

Cold Shoulder (shadow OK), Shatter, Puddle Punch (LP and MP only), Ice Lance (+MP command normal)

Shatter is an unblockable projectile which spawns at three distinct points on the screen, like SFIV Viper's Seismo Hammer, and only hits grounded opponents. Couple that with Ice Lance, a fast 2/3-screen space control normal, and Glacius rules the mid- and long-range game. When Shatter and Ice Lance hit at a distance as openers, Glacius will begin using ranged auto-doubles; there are only three instead of six (P and K will do the same double) and they are breakable under all the same rules, but they do a lot of damage and raise the ender level fast. Option-select an auto-double or Shatter linker after these openers to convert any full screen opening into big damage. Cold Shoulder is his go-to safe pressure move, while Puddle Punch is a slow but invincible reversal that lets Glacius convert an opponent's mistake into a full grounded combo, unlike other fully invincible reversals in the game.

At long range, Shatter is the only linker that will connect, so it is probably Glacius's most common linker. If you decide to mix in Shatter linkers at close range and you use the light punch button (to try a light or heavy version), but you mistime a manual, you'll get an unblockable reset that the opponent must be on point to avoid. Puddle Punch does the most damage out of any linker, so use this in lockout situations. Shadow Cold Shoulder hits 5 times very fast, which lets Glacius squeeze in two shadow linkers after several heavy auto-doubles before the opponent recovers from his lockout, which can lead to 60% damage or more.

Glacius's long-range Shatter ender is his battery ender, which ensures Glacius is always full of meter, and he can spend some meter on Shadow Shatter to end a combo for more damage if he chooses. Puddle Punch is an excellent damage ender, and shadow Puddle Punch is a great use of meter if your opponent is not locked out and you'd prefer not to risk them breaking shadow Cold Shoulder linkers. Hail sets up a ground bounce, which lets Glacius summon a free Hail; if the opponent is cornered, they will wake up with a Hail hovering above their head, which lets Glacius attempt a free mixup that is difficult to punish or interrupt, including some tricky fuzzy guard setups.

Normals to watch: At mid-range or further, Ice Lance is everything to Glacius. Opponents will run into this move often, but it is -8 on block; some characters can situationally punish it, and you can walk forward a bit after blocking it. All of Glacius' jumping kick normals hit at different angles, but have huge hitboxes that can make catching a jumping Glacius via grounded or aerial approaches difficult. Crouching HP is an excellent anti-air that can be canceled into Puddle Punch and further canceled into shadow Shatter for great anti-air damage. Note that Glacius can combo off any throw in the corner, since he has enough frame advantage to time even a heavy manual (from longer range, try an Ice Lance manual), but you'll start with high KV, and if you're far enough away that Ice Lance is your only manual option, the defender knows that MP+MK will break everything you try. In this case, sometimes throw in a fake Ice Lance manual and hit them with a Shatter reset!

Specials to watch: If you're fighting against Glacius, you need to learn to jump Shatter on reaction, otherwise you'll get tagged with a lot of unnecessary damage. Jumping pre-emptively into Glacius will make you eat anti-air damage, though, so be careful. Hail, which we haven't talked about yet, is his other strong zoning tool. After summoning a Hail above his head, he can hold it there for a few seconds by keeping the button held down, and then it will bounce along the ground at three different angles depending on the strength used. It acts like an assist; releasing the Hail does not put Glacius in any recovery, and it stays on the screen even if you hit him, which can interrupt your combo and let Glacius start his own. Stopping Glacius from summoning Hails while dodging the wall of Shatters and Ice Lances is difficult. It's also useful for complete corner control. If you summon a Hail over someone's head and hold it there, you can mix them up while they squirm, including a throw or an unblockable Shatter. Liquidize (press and hold all three kicks) is a unique non-hitting move that is projectile invincible at the beginning and fully invincible while in puddle form, which is useful in projectile wars or up-close gimmicks, but is punishable as it rises and can't be used as a reversal.

General strategy: The farther away Glacius is from his opponent, the better he is. Making the opponent run the obstacle course of Shatters, Hails, and Ice Lances will get you a lot of damage, and you can run away with his excellent jumping kick normals. Be on point with your anti-airs (crouching HP canceled into Puddle Punch in particular), since the threat of Shatter makes opponents extremely jump-happy in this fight. Cold Shoulder is safe on block, which gives Glacius surprisingly acceptable close-range fighting ability, but it is usually only temporary until Glacius can find a way to reset the distance. If you manage to corner your opponent, finish with a Hail ender, then hit them with a normal like standing MP after the ground bounce and bring out another Hail. There are many creative mixups to be had here, especially since crouching LK (low), jump-back kick normal + Hail release (instant overhead), Shatter (unblockable), and throw will all lead to a full combo, and your opponent will not be able to challenge you with buttons, since Hail will catch them even if they hit you.