Getting max power in PCB

[Azinth]

So I've been wondering this for a while; is there some way to consistently get max power by the end of stage 1 in PCB?  I've managed to pull it off a few times with different shot types, and I'm not really sure how I managed it.  Using ReimuB, I can usually only get to about 110 power by the time I get to Letty.  Can it only be done with certain characters, or is there a trick that I'm overlooking?

[nintendonut888]

I didn't even it was possible to get max power in stage 1 outside of MoF...

Well, I guess if you used bombs to auto-collect it'd be possible, but the question is why? Letty has one hard attack (Table Turning is tough before you learn the right movements), and you get max power easily before midboss chen, so why would you go to that effort?

[Azinth]

Well, stage 2 practice mode has you start out with max power, which would kind of imply that it's doable.

Eh, there's probably a scoring benefit to getting max power before stage 2, but mostly it was just curiosity.  Since I've only managed to do it a few times, I was just wondering how it's actually supposed to be done.

[Schpwuette]

I do it by bombing such that the bomb only just kills all the enemies in the penultimate wave before Cirno (the last ones that drop power), also picking up all power items dropped by the previous 2 waves, and attacking Cirno unfocused until I reach ~33k Cherry+ so that my border starts a split second after Cirno dies (allowing it to last JUST long enough to pick up the items dropped by the 3rd strong fairy in the 2nd half of the stage).

Even so, sometimes it seems there are simply not enough power items o_o
That's rare though.

I use Reimu A.

[Silentsword]

It can be done, but it's probably not cost-effective, as it only earns you a few thousand Cherry during the brief time in Stage 2 that you otherwise would still be collecting Power.  There's a couple of ways that can be mashed together to try and make it work.  It is even possible to get to 128 before Letty.  Note I said "possible".  You gotta have Huge Good Luck to do so.

- Die at the very beginning, before collecting ANYTHING.  This nets you an extra 13 power, for no cost whatsoever (assuming that you are already able to finish with 8 lives.  Otherwise, your milage may vary.)

- Get a Border either as a result of Cirno's demise, or reach ~49,000 Cherry+ as a result, allowing you to auto-collect the power items for most of the second half of the stage. 
This nets you extra power early, but it costs on higher difficulties: MarisaA (at least) can easily get a Border during Cirno's spellcard, which gets her an extra ~17,500 Cherry+ towards her next one if you let the Border run out before killing Cirno....which, coincidentally enough, allows her to get THREE Borders during Stage 1, with some change in the bank for the next stage (anywhere from 2,500-8,000), where earning the Border after Cirno only gets me two Borders, with 10,000 to 30,000 banked towards the next.
ReimuB can get the in-card Border as well - with a dash of luck.  I don't know about the others, as those two fit me far better than any of the others.  It may be that, for the other characters, getting the late Border combined with an early death would put you ahead on Cherry.  I don't know.....

- Use a bomb at some point to auto-collect items that otherwise fall through the cracks.

[Nuclear Fusion]

Table Turning is tough before you learn the right movements

This is false. Table Turning is easy even before realizing that it's static.

[theshirn]

This is false. Table Turning is easy even before realizing that it's static.

You shut the hell up.[/insidejoke]

I think I've done it before, but I'm anything but consistent.  I usually end up between 105 and 112 or so.

[Sodium]

I average between 112-117. 116 is the minimum needed before Letty to get max power. I usually get the border immediately after Cirno, but the best way to get power is to get the border 1 or 2 seconds after Cirno, as the Border ends when the third fairy that drops a big power item comes onto the screen. MarisaA on Lunatic anyways.

[Azinth]

Hmm, I usually manage to get all the powerups in the second half easily, so I guess it's just a matter of killing the enemies faster in the first half.  Now that I think about it though, those few times I got it might have been with Sakuya.  Her spread/homing would probably make it much easier to kill the enemies in the first half and get the items.

And yes, Table Turning is pretty easy even when twitch-dodging.  Slow bullets are slow.  Though I've suffered more than a few embarrassing deaths thanks to that stupid laser.

[ghost333]

i think on normal is impossible without bomb/suicide

on hard and lunatic i have managed it a lot of times.

edit : max power with sakuyaB on hard
reimuB on hard

i figured out that before letty is imposible without suicide , becuase the max power if u collect all before her is 122.

[Pesco]

On Easy/Normal it's possible to consistently get max power before the end. Bomb one of the waves just before Cirno and make sure you've collected all the large power items. Power should be 116-120 by the time Letty arrives. If you can get all the small power too, then you'll have 128 easily before the last big fairy shows up.