Pre-release warning: The Hidden Juice video was uploaded December 3, 2025 from beta footage. The wind/setplay concept is cross-checked with the official command list, but corner meaties, exact timing, and frame advantage are not confirmed launch-build facts.
Storm has a simple entry point and a large lab
Storm is easy to describe and harder to finish. The beta guide starts with a normal, an ice ball or tornado, and a movement change; the current command list names those tools Cold Embrace, Tornado, Hailstone, Tempest, and Free Flight. The source also shows that Storm can carry the opponent toward the wall while changing the timing of the next attack.
Start with the stable part of the plan: medium buttons, a confirm into Lightning Strike, then a wall or knockdown route. Add the wind decisions only after the basic conversion works.
Tempest is four directions, not one autopilot input
Tempest can be directed in multiple ways, including left, down, and up versions, and it is air-OK. The beta guide describes the mechanic as moving or pushing an ice ball or tornado in four directions. That makes the input a screen-control decision:
- Use a forward direction to make the object travel with your approach.
- Use a down or up direction to change the opponent's jump and block timing.
- Use a backward direction when the object is already active and you need to retreat behind it.
Do not press Tempest before identifying what is on screen. The object and its direction determine whether Storm is actually covered. If the wind has no useful target, return to a normal or block instead of spending the turn on an empty animation.
Ice ball and tornado create different kinds of time
The source separates an ice-ball setup from a tornado setup. The current command list identifies Hailstone as Storm's aerial down-Heavy Skill and Tornado as her grounded down-Down Skill. Keep those names distinct when you test the video ideas; the beta captions are not a substitute for the in-game move list.
Use the objects for different jobs:
- Ice/Hailstone idea: slow or redirect the opponent's route while Storm changes height.
- Tornado idea: occupy a vertical lane and let Storm approach behind the moving hitbox.
- Whirlwind ender: carry a confirmed route toward the wall and create the next setplay position.
The beta video speculates about tornado meaties in the corner. Mark that as a lab hypothesis: record the opponent's wake-up options and check whether they can jump, reversal, or push Storm out before publishing it as guaranteed.
Free Flight changes timing, not the need for cover
Free Flight lets Storm alter her air path after a projectile or wind call. Combine it with an assist or an active ice/tornado object, then choose whether to land with a normal, change sides, or retreat. The point is to make the opponent defend the object and Storm at different times.
Raw flight is still vulnerable to a prepared anti-air. Storm's down-Heavy is the universal answer in the cited guide and her official list includes Cold Embrace and Whirlwind for the grounded plan. Record the anti-air conversion and the flight escape separately; they solve different problems.
Build the route before the setplay
| Situation | First route goal |
|---|---|
| Standing or crouching Medium | Lightning Strike → Whirlwind |
| Tornado or Tempest hit | Confirm the object, then use the recorded pickup |
| Wall carry | Whirlwind ender that preserves the next setup |
| Anti-air down-Heavy | Simple air route; add wind only after the hit is stable |
| Corner knockdown | Test ice and tornado timings separately against reversal and jump |
Storm's official Combo Challenges already separate the normal, Unique, Skill, and assist routes. Learn those first. The wind lab should answer one question at a time—direction, object, landing timing, or assist coverage—so the setplay remains something you can reproduce in a match.
Video sources and verification
- Hidden Juice Village — How to Play Storm — December 3, 2025 beta guide covering Tempest directions, ice/tornado setplay, flight, normals, anti-air, and corner ideas.
- DemiWispFGC — Storm Tips & Gameplay — final-beta cross-check for buttons, wall carry, combos, and mix-up concepts.
- PlayStation — Storm Character Guide — official showcase used to cross-check Storm's published move names.
- Storm move list and starter game plan — current command reference and attributed strategy summary.