"Placeholder Sign [I can't think of a name]" (Spell Card Help Topic IV)

[Zengeku]

No. Those familiars have far too much health for you to possibly take them out. That final card is something you just have to memorize but still be ready to burn some bombs on. Or worse in case you forget how to do it.

[Skyler]

I've destroyed two or three before, but I'm not sure if you can do the same to all of them.

[Yukari-Chan]

Well now, Kaguya's Neeting power is average. Kaguya should be the Extra Boss >:\

[MTSranger]

Can you destroy Kaguya's Familiars at her final card? Cause seriously, even in Normal mode, I fail at that fucking Neet's card.

A few of Kaguya's familiars can be destroyed by MAlice cannon (or even just Marisa - but that'd take quite a bit of time).
On normal mode this is very doable and makes the card easier. On higher difficulties, you might as well just do it the regular way.

ok I got country and what not down, along with Reisen's spells. Now it seems Keine's non-spells are eating me alive. any advice? (I have noticed no focus makes it less dense but still......)

Keine's nonspells
Stay under her and destroy 4 familiars when unfocused - even Reimu can do that easily. Then, move out and dodge focused.
After you've destroyed some familiars, it becomes considerably easier.

[Hinacle]

Where is the safespot for Royal Flare in the extra stage of EoSD and what is a good way to do Maze of Love? :ohdear:

[Zengeku]

I dunno about Royal Flare. I don't think you are looking for a safespot as much as you are simply looking for a path to do it with. Look up a competent Extra run and you'll see a capture of it. I also think you can find a timeout of it on youtube somewhere.

As for Maze of Love, I recommend just sitting at the bottom while micrododging the bullets. That's the fastest approach. Its harder than do it like you are supposed to properly but it saves you from having to learn it. If you wanna learn it, you are supposed to circle around Flandre in a clockwise or counter-clockwise pattern though I don't recall in which order you have to do what. I have never done it though so I'll always just recommend micrododging it. (Oh and its not that bad really, its actually just timed taps to the side.)

[かけふみ]

Need to understand how Rin's 3rd spell, Needles of Yore (or something).

Mainly the white rings. I realize I have to focus a lot on the red bullets or I'll hit them by accident. So I need to predict how the 5 ghostly white rings are shot. Problem is I don't really know how it works.

I know the white rings are fired depending on my position, in which the 3rd ring is directly aimed at me, but not much else. Is there a time interval between when the direction of the rings are determined before they are shot? Or is the direction determined right as when the 1st of the 5 rings are shot? They always seem a little off from where I think they are.

Also does the size of the rings change from hard to lunatic?

[I have no name]

As for Maze of Love, I recommend just sitting at the bottom while micrododging the bullets. That's the fastest approach. Its harder than do it like you are supposed to properly but it saves you from having to learn it. If you wanna learn it, you are supposed to circle around Flandre in a clockwise or counter-clockwise pattern though I don't recall in which order you have to do what. I have never done it though so I'll always just recommend micrododging it. (Oh and its not that bad really, its actually just timed taps to the side.)

I'm going to come straight out and say DON'T SO THIS-micrododging it is next to impossible and circling around Flandre isn't very difficult.  You just go around clockwise for about 1 1/3 revolutions, jump back to below her and go counterclockwise for 1, repeat.

[Zil]

I'm going to come straight out and say DON'T SO THIS-micrododging it is next to impossible and circling around Flandre isn't very difficult.  You just go around clockwise for about 1 1/3 revolutions, jump back to below her and go counterclockwise for 1, repeat.

I'll back this up. While the micrododging way isn't all that hard, I do recall that when I first played the stage many months ago I tried to micrododge and got ripped apart, while circling was pretty easy for me. Really, this card is asked about here more often than any other, and I think it's pretty straightforward. Just go in circles around Flandre. If you aren't good enough yet to read the micrododging, you'd have to memorize it, which just makes the deal a bit more taxing in my opinion.
And Royal Flare only has a "safespot" for MarisaA, in the sense that you end it before you have to move, but learn a path like Zengeku said, since it doesn't make sense to only be able to do it as one shot type.

Need to understand how Rin's 3rd spell, Needles of Yore (or something).

Well, on Lunatic the middle ring seems to be aimed a little to the right of your position. I know for a fact that this is different on Easy and Normal, so the targeting is probably different on hard too. I'd just go into practice mode, sit perfectly still, and see how it's aimed like that. Don't know about the size, but I don't think it's different. There's no time delay that I can see, though the rings are so slow they won't reach you before more waves are fired.

[Zengeku]

Need to understand how Rin's 3rd spell, Needles of Yore (or something).

For Needles of Yore, sit still until wheels are approaching you. Then move to the side and sit there until two wheels (including the one you move out of the way from) have passed by you. At this point, as you said Kakefumi, the third wheel will be aimed at you. Then you just repeat until the card is dead.

I'm going to come straight out and say DON'T SO THIS-micrododging it is next to impossible and circling around Flandre isn't very difficult.  You just go around clockwise for about 1 1/3 revolutions, jump back to below her and go counterclockwise for 1, repeat.

Not impossible. I could do it pretty much consistently back when I was a Normal/Hard player. Of course, different people will find different approaches more preferable. I personally found circling Flandre to be more intimidating because you need unfocused movement to keep up with it as Reimu. (I think, don't quote me on it)

[Yukari-Chan]

Found out a trick for Orin. You just need ReimuA and you can avoid some of her spells and nonspells with ease.

[Zengeku]

Found out a trick for Orin. You just need ReimuA and you can avoid some of her spells and nonspells with ease.

This is actually pretty good advice for the entire game.

[Yukari-Chan]

Guess I'll share one :
Malicious Spirit "Spleen Eater"

First go on the side, she summons bullets surrounding you. Now, this is the trick, use ReimuA's special ability to go to the other side ot the screen where the bullets do not reach. Don't know if this can be done on Vengeful Cannibal Spirit but worth a try.

[Zil]

No it doesn't work on Lunatic. Though ReimuA is easily the best shot type, yes. You wouldn't believe how much use you can get out of that teleport ability when you put your mind to it.

[Yukari-Chan]

Maybe it would work on hard mode? Just a little bit tougher. Never tried SA hard mode. Okuu scares me ;O;

[ふねん1]

You don't really need to do that for Spleen Eater. Let the first wheel appear, then fit through a lane near the bottom or top (depending on whether you want to move left or right, respectively). Taking one of those lanes means you'll end up directly to the left or right of where you started when you get out, right when the next wheel spawns. Fit through the remnants of the lanes from the first wheel, then repeat the process going the other way. It looks vaguely like this, if there's a whole lot of merit from watching a video from my really early days. :V

On Hard, you do essentially the same thing, except since the wheels spawn faster they'll end up along the same direction as whichever lane you take, unlike the Normal version. Example, you take the lane to your left, the next wheel will be to your left. You take the lane above you, as shown here, the next wheel will be above you.

I agree with one of Zil's points, but respectfully disagree with the other. ReimuA is without question the best shot type in SA, but there are not really a whole lot of places where gapping is all that useful. Think about it, every attack in the game (outside of the Recollection cards obviously) still needs to be reasonable for all the other shots, none of whom share ReimuA's ability. Even things like the post-pellet hell stream or Stage 6's long pre-Orin stream can be handled with standard crossovers. Sure, gapping helps during those attacks, and a few scoring tricks do call for gaps at certain spots, but overall the difference in how much it helps is not that great IMO.

[MTSranger]

Where is the safespot for Royal Flare in the extra stage of EoSD and what is a good way to do Maze of Love? :ohdear:

There is a way to pass Maze of Love with Marisa B and with only 1 bomb, micrododging at the bottom.
It's probably not a good way unless you are just looking for a first clear in extra.
Basically, the blue round bullets are aimed, so stream it.
When the blue wall comes, you let it get on top of your character, then bomb.
The bomb lasts enough for the thing to switch to brown bullets, and it will end at the phase switch.
Then, simply stream the brown round bullets as well, and before the first wall reach you, you would end the card.
It's also better to learn precisely where the first gap you dodge is, in case you have to go through 1 wall.

As for Royal Flare, you CAN sort of safespot it with every single character (even Reimu A)
You have to be fairly precise in the safespot placement, and you have to make one precise tap downwards at some point.
See this post (includes replay as well):
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,6504.msg392132.html#msg392132

[DelichiousApple]

Err... I keep timing out most of Reimu's stuff...
I don't care about the non-spells, Fantasy Seal -Spread- and Evil Sealing Circle are what I truly need help with... :V

Also, Keine's final spellcard... how? T.T

[ARF]

IBUKI posted a new SA ReimuA Extra record (I know this isn't very spell card help related, but the score thread got locked).

How does one gather the balls to pull of the trick at the first wave of Miracle Fruit? It just looks insanely lucky, seeing things like that gives me hope that we will have people doing Midboss Nue's second spell from the top of the screen one day.

[Zil]

ReimuA is without question the best shot type in SA, but there are not really a whole lot of places where gapping is all that useful. Think about it, every attack in the game (outside of the Recollection cards obviously) still needs to be reasonable for all the other shots, none of whom share ReimuA's ability. Even things like the post-pellet hell stream or Stage 6's long pre-Orin stream can be handled with standard crossovers. Sure, gapping helps during those attacks, and a few scoring tricks do call for gaps at certain spots, but overall the difference in how much it helps is not that great IMO.

Here are the places where it saves my ass at 90fps.

1) Trivialize Kisume's spellcard
2) Makes it very easy to collect every power item in stage 1 without doing any grazing or difficult stuff
3) Depends on her movement, but it can save me sometimes on Yamame's first nonspell
4) Makes it easier to get the power items from the enemies right before stage 2 boss without having to graze
5) Rarely needed, but can sometimes help with Parsee's first card
6) Can help with Yugi's blue and yellow nonspells, though that's only if you let them get out of hand in the first place
7) Basically meaningless, but after the bomb which I always use right before stage 3 boss, I can kill an extra orb that survived the bomb with the options that wrap around to the other side
8 - If I'm out of bombs, it be a last ditch attempt to dodge Orin's midboss thing in stage 4 when the spirits explode
9) That hectic streaming part with the wall of lasers right after is easier, and the lasers themselves are easily avoided
10) Can help with pellet hell in stage 5 if I'm out of bombs with nothing left to lose
11) Trivialize the streaming part as well as the kunai crows in stage 6

I never thought much of it before, but playing at 90fps I've come to see it as a godsend.

[Zil]

Eh, double post, but I need to ask something.

Does anyone know if timing out spells or nonspells reduces rank in EoSD? If that were the case then it would actually be a good idea to time out the easy attacks just for rank reduction.  :wat:

[ふねん1]

I believe timing out stuff in EoSD doesn't decrease rank. The wiki says it only goes down when you die, use a bomb, or let an item fall off the screen. Though since timing out stuff means you're lasting longer on them, and since rank does go up with survival time, then trying to time out attacks would end up increasing rank faster.

[Zil]

Well that shoots down that idea. It seems dropping as many items as possible and grazing as little as possible is the way to go, which is perhaps even more ridiculous.

[Raikaria]

A few of Kaguya's familiars can be destroyed by MAlice cannon (or even just Marisa - but that'd take quite a bit of time).
On normal mode this is very doable and makes the card easier. On higher difficulties, you might as well just do it the regular way.
Keine's nonspells
Stay under her and destroy 4 familiars when unfocused - even Reimu can do that easily. Then, move out and dodge focused.
After you've destroyed some familiars, it becomes considerably easier.

[I know this is a few days ago, but might still be helpful]

Alice's shots don't effect Familiars, so that Malice Cannon is actually slower at destroying them than Marisa is solo.

Unless they do effect during the period where the beam is still existant and you're Marisa. In which case, it's probobly about the same pace, because some of Marisa's shots pass over whie the familars are invunerable.

Keine's nonspells are annoying:

Midboss: Focus on taking out the central familars first, and then the one at whichever side Keine moves to. After that, try and deal as much damage to Keine as you can, taking famailars is a bonus. Be ready to focus a couple of seconds after the second set spawns. Be ready to bomb if you can't kill her before the side familars spawned on the second wave turn enough to get you, because this can easily form a wall if Keine decides to shoot too. [Although you should have taken her out by then, unless you are using the Magic Team, and she moved in awkward ways]

1st Boss Nonspell: Get in the funnel under her [But not right under her, or she'll get you when she moves], to blow up some familars. Then you can take it focused [More bullets, but slower] or Unfocused [Less bullets but faster]. Pure dodgeing ability here...

2nd Boss Nonspell: The pattern is actually more defined and easier, because Keine stops shooting when she respawns her familars, and when she prepares. This gives you time to actually recover. The bullets also seem more spaced out and slower, but there are slightly more of them, provided you use the same tactics in taking out the familars as the 1st Nonspell.

[I have no name]

[I know this is a few days ago, but might still be helpful]

Alice's shots don't effect Familiars, so that Malice Cannon is actually slower at destroying them than Marisa is solo.

Unless they do effect during the period where the beam is still existant and you're Marisa. In which case, it's probobly about the same pace, because some of Marisa's shots pass over whie the familars are invunerable.

If you stay as a human and then tap focus constantly then the familiars never switch to 'intangible' state.
The opposite is true as well, allows you to get Marisa's/Youmu's shots through familiars, and Alice's to hit them.  This is why Mokou's survival can be captured with Magic team by damage.

[MTSranger]

If you stay as a human and then tap focus constantly then the familiars never switch to 'intangible' state.
The opposite is true as well, allows you to get Marisa's/Youmu's shots through familiars, and Alice's to hit them.  This is why Mokou's survival can be captured with Magic team by damage.

Exactly. You don't have to tap very often - just often enough that the laser stays on the screen most of the time.
Both Alice's laser and Marisa's shot will hit the familiar. The familiars won't go invincible unless you tap shift too long.
Just to prove the point, I went to ran some tests with Marisa vs. MAlice cannon.
Marisa - 20 s
MAlice - 15 s
This is the time it takes to kill the middle 3 familiars on normal mode, staying under Kaguya most of the time.
There is some obvious difference here.
You won't rly be able to kill the middle 3 familiars quickly on hard unless you MAlice cannon because the streams come earlier.
On normal mode though, there is fairly large amount of time for either one to kill the familliars.

MAlice cannon can even kill 2 more familiars before the lanes change to become harder to dodge.
I haven't been able to get it to kill the outer most ones though. Wonder how hard that is.

[Byaaakuren]

How exactly do I pro Ichirin's second and third non-cards? The ones where you can place yourself near her and rack up lots of graze.

EDIT: Also, Murasa's survival card :<

[RegalStar]

Can someone take my SA score file and unlock stage 5/6 on Hard for ReimuA for me?

[Puffy]

Here you go! Hard mode 1cc, ReimuA S5+S6 unlocked on your score.dat

Score File
Replay if you need it

Took me 2 attempts, i think i broke my highscore here, than on my old score.dat o.o

[RegalStar]

Here you go! Hard mode 1cc, ReimuA S5+S6 unlocked on your score.dat

Score File
Replay if you need it

Took me 2 attempts, i think i broke my highscore here, than on my old score.dat o.o

Thanks a lot!