Pink Sweets: Ibara Sorekara/Strategy

Lace specific scoring / strategies but generally applies

Stage 1 Boss: Caramel & Maple Pink

• Damage distribution strategy in favor of getting Shot Kill when the boss times out which includes the score gain from reaching Time Out.
• Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool.

Phase 1 (8 Cycles)

• Open with 10 Laser Shots during the boss intro for "free" Tic Points.
• Objective is to destroy both arms before the phase times out.
• Every other attack is a Double-Pronged bullet attack that comes out in 4 volleys (if rank is raised, otherwise 3.) Use this attack for grazing on the side of the boss, inching out of the way for each volley.
• If both arms are not destroyed, you'll have a smaller window to launch full-scale scoring on Phase 2 as you'll still need to destroy the Middle Cannon in a cycle which replaces more lucrative patterns versus if it's destroyed.
• If the boss uses the arms for example 3 times in a row from the beginning, you can optimize the scoring on this phase by destroying one arm in one cycle with 9 shots (in respect to raised rank) which will destroy it in a single cycle.

1. Then on the 2nd cycle, go 8 shots on the remaining arm and you may wait a few cycles to finish off the arm, in order to use the Double-Pronged attacks for extra graze score in the meantime. The boss tends to use the Missile Arms once every few cycles - though there is a certain amount of randomness.
2. Probably by the 5th cycle, it's time to take the kill on the remaining arm, in fear of getting bad RNG where the arm isn't used again in that phase.
3. When you kill the remaining arm with a single shot at the beginning of the cycle, you'll also have extra time to graze the front of the boss as this will prolong the phase shift "cutscene".

Phase 2 (10 cycles)

• Use the "3-Count" method for Phase 2 (after arms are destroyed)

1. Count in your head: # of Cycles, then # of Additional Shots, then # of (point blank) RCs. = (0,0,0)

• The overall goal here is count your damage with this method so that you can consistently reach the time out, as well as earn the Shot Kill bonus (100k versus 10k for RC).

1. The boss will be primed for the Shot Kill once your counter is ready.

• Example counts that work:

1. (10,2,4) = 2 RC's during Time out. Shoot during your last RC.
2. (10,8,3) = 1 RC during time out. (so wait for the boss to lower if feeling confident)
3. The difference here is that 6 Laser Shots is the equivalent damage to one point blank RC (~23HP according to the MAME overlay). So because of the 8 additional shots, it's one less RC to finish.

• Additional Shots specifically refers to the number of Laser Shots you'll do while grazing the mandatory Double-Pronged bullet attack.

1. OR for example: If you accidentally damaged the boss during phase 1 - which usually occurs if you don't get out of the way for the Missile Arms when you start shooting them. Usually can be identified if the boss flashes on damage.
2. Go for RC Cancels on the Double Pronged attacks to get as much graze as possible.
3. Typically only one Shot+RC cancel will occur, so you'll shoot, as well as cancel an RC if it isn't frame perfect cancel. Count these Laser volleys and add them and keep track in your "3-Count"

• The first goal is to destroy the Middle Cannon so you can then have the most dense bullet patterns to absorb with your RC. This enables the brunt of the scoring through RC'ing a big green spam pattern.

1. Example: You're on the 4th Cycle, For 3 of those cycles the middle cannon appeared, when the Middle Cannon appears always shoot it 8 times as soon as its missiles are shot from the source. The middle cannon should be destroyed after 20 shots, but sometimes it varies an extra 2 or 3 shots on the 3rd cycle.
2. You must add any additional shots on the middle cannons past 20 Shots (Any past 4 shots on cycle 3) to the '# of Additional Shots' count.

• Once the Middle cannon is destroyed, the boss can use a spammy green bullet attack that is perfect for RC'ing point blank to absorb the bullets for big chunks of score.

1. This RC usage will be counted in the "3-count" i.e. (5,1,1)
2. The boss will typically use this at least 2 times. As the cycles get closer to 10, say, at cycle 7, if you haven't gotten any of the Green Spam, you'll have to make up the damage with 6 Laser volleys (equivalent to an RC) during the Double Pronged attacks. If you do 6 volleys, instead of adding it to '# of Additional Shots' just convert it into an a single RC count.

• So, ideal RNG here would be first 3 cycles it uses the Middle Cannon. Then you get 3 or 4 Green Spams + RC's before the 10th cycle.

1. If you reach your damange quota early, you'll get a little extra score, especially if there is more Green Spam to block with your shield.

• If the boss times out around the middle of the screen, it's full time-out pattern will spread out on the screen. This is ideal in the scenario that you can do 2 RC's to finish the boss.
• When you unleash the final deathblow RC, commit to firing your Lasers and 95% of the time you'll be rewarded the Shot Kill 100K bonus. A convenient design choice!

1. If you don't count your damage properly, you may not get the kill when you expect to. It's not the end of the world if you die from the Time Out pattern. You can still reach Max Stock lives later on.
   
   
   

Stage 2 Boss: Socie Soar

Damage distribution strategy in favor of getting Shot Kill when the boss times out which includes the score gain from reaching Time Out.

• Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool.
  
  

Phase 1

• Open with ~16 Laser Shots during the boss intro for "free" Tic Points.
• The majority of score will come from shooting the Buzzsaws that are deployed every other attack with Rapid Shot as to avoid damaging the core HP.
• 1 of 2 attacks are chosen at random inbetween the Buzzsaws and both of these attacks have a random duration, but usually lasts at least ~5 seconds.

1. Aimed Blue: A small amount of blue bullets are aimed at you.
2. Aimed Pink Spread Shot with gap in the middle.

• For Aimed Blue: Use forward Rose Hips and charge your RC. Once charged, you can safely attempt graze along the propeller of the boss. The boss will move around randomly but never go into the middle/bottom of the screen, be wary of being rammed.
• For Aimed Pink Spread Shot: Use Back Rose Hips so that you can collect graze within the side spreads. Enter with caution, too steep of an angle of entry will allow a bullet to flank your side.
• For both of these attacks you can anticipate when and where the boss will stop moving. You may collect about ~3000-4000pts of graze as the buzzsaws initialize inbetween 2 prodded arms for just a moment. Then assume position to gather Laser tic off of the buzzsaws.
• It's ok to inflict some damage to the boss as the buzzsaws exit the screen, it's worth the little bit of damage dealt to gather buzzsaw tic points.
  
  

Phase 2

• This is a grueling and slightly unpredictable phase with a lot of intricacies that you'll have to consider when fighting until Time Out, ultimately looking for a Shot Kill (100K) that should be consistently achieved.
• The boss will consistently use 2 attacks, but the frequency they are used is dependent on the rank. It will also continue to be able to use the 2 Phase 1 attacks that aren't Buzzsaws.

1. An aimed quad laser volley. (The first volley is randomly aimed!)
2. Deployed Middle Pod (5K shot kill) that fires a spread shot from its upper side. The HP of this pod will be determined by Rank, and will gain HP as the fight progresses in time. This HP durability change over time will be your main indicator for identifying when to close out the fight with the Shot kill.

• The third attack is unleashing 2 Back Pods that fly around randomly, shooting aimed destructible bullets at you. It is random if these Back Pods are even used at all, but rank will also influence its frequency of use (unconfirmed). There is a visual que of these pods vibrating before they are released.

1. These Back Pods are entered into the attack selection pool which includes the 2 Phase 1 attacks (Aimed Pink, and Aimed Blue).
   
   

The general scoring flow of Phase 2:

• Start with dodging the quad laser, bait the laser just beneath the boss' wing where you will gain graze from the boss, the quad laser. Additionally, shoot the wings and gain tic. If executed proper it's over 10K for this action alone. You will be repeating this action constantly through out the fight when the boss allows.
• Middle Pod will deploy. Destroy it immediately with a combination of Rose Hips (RH) and a Rose Cracker (RC). Try to snipe the kill on it with your Shot for the 5K bonus versus 500pts for RC kill. Immediate destruction will give you more time to perform the previous action as well as be prepared for the ensuing variety of attacks.
• When Back Pods come out, you have options for dealing with them.

1. You may destroy them when they are not lined up with the boss to mitigate boss damage.
2. You may also allow them to live to gather zan from their destructible bullets.
3. A decent strategy can be waiting for the Middle Pod to re-deploy, then begin shooting them as your shot will overlay the Middle Pod, Back Pods, and Boss at the same time, gaining hefty tic points.

• If you allow too many Back Pods to live, you are faced with the ultimatem of dealing with their destructible bullets which may pincer your position in tandem of the previously mentioned attacks. If you're caught without your shield charging you are forced to dodge (and charge) or shoot the bullets out of your way. It can be dangerous to stray too far to the left or right of the boss as you can get pincered by the various attacks and your attack coverage will diminish at these positions. Stay vigilant with your path of action here.
• As the fight carries on, notice the HP growing on the Middle Pod. Then gauge how much damage you've dealt on the boss over all.

1. At higher rank you'll be forced into clearing out the screen by shooting the back pods repeatedly as well as dealing damage to the boss. How many times you do this will differ, but take note of how often you are forced to clean up the chaos (and thusly are dealing damage to the boss.)

• You'll be grabbing medals from the Back Pods and Middle Pods, as well as avoiding the Wide Shot upgrade (unless you want it for crowd control), and you also have the option of setting up Rose Hip or Shot Specials if needed here by skipping the respective powerups.
• Once you're used to what kind of HP your Middle Pod has near the end of the fight (perhaps practice this by attempting to time out the boss in practice,) you will likely be put into a situation near the end of the fight where you're desperately clearing out the screen and dealing damage to the boss. Try to stretch the fight out until this moment so that you can snipe the boss for a shot kill. It's not that unrealistic to get the Shot kill consistently with enough practice.
• Practice makes perfect. Counting damage will be difficult here but you do have a window of leniency given you have the Middle Pod to gauge when the fight is close to the end. If you know you haven't had to shoot Back Pods much, and thusly haven't shot the boss much, consider shooting the boss more to get it primed for destruction. The Middle Pod's durability is your best indicative tool here so pay attention.
  
  
  

Stage 3 Boss: Harmony Humming

• Damage distribution strategy in favor of timing out Phase 1 and 2. Utilize "free" tic points when Boss enters invincibility zone by shooting during Phase 2. This occurs at any time the boss' blue helmet isn't touching any of the text at the top of the screen. Damage distribution strategy for getting Shot Kill when the boss times out for Phase 3 which includes the score gain from reaching Time Out.

1. Phase 1 & 2 share the same HP pool. Phase 3 has it's own HP.
   
   

Phase 1 (6 cycles)

• Open with 13 shots during the boss intro for "free" tic points.
• The boss will have a pool of a few attacks to use, which it will use for one slot of an alternating 2 cycle pattern.

1. The mandatory attack pattern is a Pink Spread coupled with an Aimed Destructible Bullet Spread.
2. For example: 1: Bottom Missiles, 2: Destructible bullets, 1: Pink Spread, 2: Destructible bullets, 1: Blue Spread, 2: Destructible Bullets, and so on.

• The scoring is focused on gathering graze adjacent the boss' body, during its mandatory Destructible Bullet attack, which includes absorbing bullets with your shield.
• Begin by changing speed to 1(1 arrow), putting your Rose Hips (RH) into the Forward position, and charging your shield to full before advancing to the side of the boss. This will protect you very well for this strategy!

1. Fly to the side of the boss, staying adjacent and slightly below the center of the boss, blocking any of the boss' attacks with your charge and Forward Rose Hips. You will be pleasantly surprised how protected you are.
2. As the first pattern ends, assume a position on the side of the boss immediately. It's most important to be somewhat close, and at a good vertical position that's adjacent to the boss. This is because you are completely safe at that moment from the ensuing attack. Then, you may inch closer horizontally with complete safety to get into the optimal graze position (as the next pattern ensues). The sooner and closer you do this the better, it makes a difference. Optimal gain from 1 graze is about 25K.

• Yes! The Aimed Destructible Bullets are unable to take aim when you are in this point blank position. It's a blind spot.
• As soon as the phase ends, change to Reverse Rose Hips.

Phase 2 (8 cycles)

• This phase can be quite lucrative and there's a lot to do all at once. There's also a variety of attack combinations you'll have to become familiar with to avoid death. NOTE: If rank maxes out during this boss, the destructible bullets become notably more tanky.

1. The main scoring objective here is to mitigate damage by only shooting when you are forced to do so, or when the boss weaves into the invincibility zone at the top of the screen, and as well as when the boss parks into that invincibility zone.

• Boss' attack pattern:

1. Missiles shot down center, coupled with laser walls surrounding them. This attack is mandatory in the pattern but will differ by the positioning and length of each individual movement change it takes. When the boss changes direction you'll be forced to shoot a laser volley to clear the missiles heading your way, then follow where the boss goes and repeat.
2. Boss' selects a variety of armaments to mix and match onto both shoulders. These armaments are identified by their unique appearances. These include: A. Wide Forward Destructible Bullets. B. 7-Pronged Aimed Destructible Bullets. C. Aimed Pink Forward Line.

• Scoring nuance of Missle+Lasers:

1. Ontop of getting some shots here and there if you're good at seeing when the boss' blue helment appears above the text. You can also graze the laser walls at Speed 1(1 arrow) if you're feeling confident enough. This can be worth up to 10K a graze if the boss moves a great length. It is best to do this by hugging the bottom of the screen and holding diaganol to reduce your speed slightly. This diagonal movement speed will match the movement of the boss.

• If you're not confident in this, it may be prudent to use Speed 2 (2 arrows) to have a bit more mobility and abandon this strategy.

• Scoring nuance of 2nd attack (Armament Mix & Match):

1. Dealing with RNG here if you want the big score: which comes from when the boss parks into the invincibility zone. However, optimizing this situation is dependent on your proper reaction to the combination of attacks you are dealt. This is where the Reverse Rose Hips come into play. For most combinations the proper response will be to position Reverse Rose Hips by tapping left or right to put a RH in front of you, to protect you while you're shooting the boss and the destructible bullets.
2. Here are notable examples of how to capitilize:
3. Double Aimed Pink: Slowly tap dodge in one direction, focusing your laser shots on the body of the boss. If you're far enough left or right, use everse Rose Hips then to protect yourself from a single volley.
4. Double Wide Forward Destructible: Aim Reverse Rose Hips forward and shoot. If the boss parks mid or low and uses this, you best be ready to get out of the way.
5. For the rest of the combinations: Just use left or right Reverse Rose Hip positioning to protect your side while you're shooting.

• Phase 2 Score flow summary + additional tips:

1. Shoot boss only when it's invincible (again, Helmet not touching text!) , and only when you're clearing missiles. Graze laser walls if feeling confident.
2. When the 2nd attack ends and the boss is NOT parked in the invincibility zone: charge and release a rose cracker to clear a path towards the boss. Here you have an opportunity to graze between the 2 front prods AS WELL as when the initial missiles start firing: this gains an extra ~3000pts in graze but is easily skippable if you're not setup proper.
3. Additionally, if you can keep releasing RC's during the Missle+Laser Wall attack, you'll automatically mitigate damage to the boss as this won't deal damage to the shoulder weak point above. This a good idea to attempt because it is difficult to reach the 8th cycle otherwise. In fact, you may attempt to mitigate damage in this manner further by exiting the Laser Wall confine and continuously using Rose Crackers, it's a little risky due to the random movements potentially pincering you on the sides. If rank isnt maxed or close to max when you enter the boss, you will likely not reach the 8th cycle either because of the lower max HP of the boss. Just opt to end the phase a cycle or two early in that case.

• Closing out the 2nd phase:

1. The ideal closer is to shoot and gain tic during the Laser Wall when you think you're on the last cycle before it either times out or runs out of HP. Because once this attack begins, the boss is forced to complete both attacks.

• If you over damage the boss on a previous cycle expecting to be able to do this closing tic gain technique, you'll just end the boss fight early and miss out on a large chunk of Tic points (probably ~70K?).
• Even though this "free tic" is available on the last cycle, beware that a low positioned boss cannot be capitilized on particularly if it uses Double Wide Destrictible Bullets and not as well if it uses Double Aimed Pink as well.

Phase 3 (16 cycles)

• Very lucrative phase with a bit of danger to it due to RNG of where her Bombers are dispersed. The majority of score will come from RC'ing its Double Cylindrical Missiles but there are multiple sources of score that all add together. You'll also be managing damage / score chances in an effort to get the Shot Kill at the end, but this one's tricky as it is a long phase and you'll be playing it differently every time. Note: this all considers that your rank is near max or max at the beginning of the fight. If it's max you can always have the same HP on the boss so that should be encouraged at this point of a scoring run. Let's list the attacks and available scoring responses.
• Attack flow is a repeating 2-pattern cycle comprised of the boss using:

1. Bombers or Double Cylindrical Missile and
2. Spike Ball Spread, Swords Spread, and Static Pink Spread.

• General scoring flow / time out strategy:

1. On the bombers you can destroy one cleanly with point blank Forward Rose Hip damage and by doing this you'll automatically collect its item. Unfortunately, there is a damage bug while hitting the bombers with Shot or RC that causes them to gain temporary invincibility and not be destroyed. The Rose Hip strategy is a response to that.
2. During the Double Cylindrical Missles, be wary of your Rose Cracker placement as this will garner damage on the boss. Anticipate where they are deployed to destroy as many as possible and always RC this attack for score.
3. Swords Spread response: the boss will open up to unleash these swords, you can use this as a visual que to go for a chunk of score by RC'ing close to the boss to absorb most of the swords (about 40K gain). This won't be possible if you get poor Bomber placement.
4. Spike Ball Spread, not worth much score for RC'ing.
5. Static Pink Spread response: Put Rose Hips to Back and graze immediately on the diagonal tendril of bullets.

• General scoring flow / time out strategy (2):

1. Bombers: You can shoot the green bomber explosions for decent Tic points. If the boss opens up room for you on the bottom of the screen, you may take that position to gain tic on them as well as the boss or the explosions alone.
2. Swords or Spike Balls: Usually you'll be hanging back and charging 2 RC's to deal with surviving this. Once the 2nd RC is deployed, the attack will finish and you'll be safe under the protection of the RC. Use this chance to shoot the boss a few times for extra tic. You may do this, OR RC the swords point blank as mentioned before, to accumulate damage / score in preparation for the shot kill. The idea is that you're Min/Max'ing for damage and score in this fight.

• Time Out / Shot Kill short summary of strategy: RC the Double Cylindrical Missiles with regard to mitigate damage if boss spacing allows. Shoot the boss ~16 times (or a set amount of times based on your rank) for Tic or do a few point blank RC's versus the swords, or an equivalent mixture of both. This approach generally primes you for the opportunity for a Shot Kill on the 15th or 16th cycle ideally. Count the cycles during the fight so you know it's coming up. A damage mitigation strategy can be to play conservative on damage in the beginning of the fight, and as the fight goes on (maybe after 7th cycle) consider accumulating more damage for score when you can.