Counters

How to get it

PvP Guide - for all players who want to know how to react to every Blox Fruit and playstyle, from beginner to veteran.

The Principle

Most counters don't force you to equip a specific item. Choosing the right gear against a given opponent simply makes the fight much more comfortable.

General rule - the rarer and more powerful an item, the more weaknesses it has to exploit, simply because its moveset is more complex. In return, these counters are often harder to execute than those of simpler items.

The Three Universal Techniques

• Instinct Trick - just before a dodgeable attack hits you, activate Instinct, dodge, then cut it off immediately. It works against moves that don't break Instinct, or only partially. You save your dodges for truly dangerous attacks and greatly reduce the risk of it breaking.
• Air Camping - against items strongest on the ground, stay airborne permanently with Air Jumps, Flight, or attacks that keep you in place. Your opponent can no longer fight you effectively, and they expose their defensive weaknesses.
• Out-Ranging - against low-range styles, position yourself outside their effective zone so their attacks never connect or lose effectiveness. It works against anything, but it's much stronger if your own kit has range - otherwise you'll end up having to get close to attack, which defeats the whole purpose.

Counter Each Fruit

Rule for all beast-type fruits - at the moment they transform, pull out Dragonstorm.

Fruit	How to Counter It
Rocket	Keep your distance, stay airborne, and go for stuns.
Spin	Run when they throw Air Slasher [C], punish them on their other skills.
Blade	Avoid their sword strikes, their range is short.
Spring	Play with Instinct. Their [Z] has a small hitbox.
Bomb	Air camp, and punish them while they charge [V].
Smoke	Move fast, their skills are slow.
Spike	Approach carefully, watch out for their [C].
Flame	Attack from distance, their knockback is huge.
Ice	Air camp, watch out for stuns from [C] and [V].
Sand	Air camp. The Shark race can swim to escape.
Dark	Keep your distance and punish their slow range.
Eagle	Keep your distance, punish them as soon as they're low on health.
Diamond	Keep your distance, watch out for [C] and [V].
Light	All their skills counter with Instinct Trick.
Rubber	The farther you are, the weaker they become.
Ghost	Use AoE to clear clones, then punish their cooldowns.
Magma	Very slow, punish them during their casts.
Quake	Air camp, and punish their huge endlag.
Buddha	Spam stuns and knockback, but watch out for their speed.
Love	Their signature move is deadly - dodge it at all costs. Keep Instinct off and spend it on their other moves.
Creation	Stay mobile, Instinct helps.
Spider	Dash constantly, the Rabbit race is recommended.
Sound	Wait for their [C] and avoid close combat.
Phoenix	Force them to empty their energy, then combo.
Portal	Their mobility lets them play aggressive or passive. Force them to use their [X], and punish them when they miss [Z].
Lightning	Sky camp is mandatory, and your Instinct must stay off.
Pain	Punish them when they open their combo with Pain's [X], unless they're playing Cyborg. Dragon Talon is perfect to finish them.
Blizzard	Avoid their [V], get out of their [C] with Flash Step, watch out for Instinct breaks.
Gravity	Air camp is a great choice, Instinct off - they almost always open with Gravity's [X].
Mammoth	Weak in the air, punish the range gaps.
T-Rex	Punish them when they miss [X].
Dough	Wait for their [V] to pass, air camp, and punish after [C].
Shadow	Turn Instinct back on after taking Shadow's [V], then Flash Step to escape.
Venom	Venom's [F] followed by Yama's [X] is a deadly combo - avoid this setup at all costs. The rest counters with Instinct Trick.
Gas	In base form, most of their moves counter with Instinct Trick, and Flash Step gets you out of trouble. Against the transformation, the source advises avoiding the fight or dodging to empty their gauge.
Control	Most of their moves break Instinct - keep it off. In dagger mode, stay far from the domain, force them to come to you then stick to them; their [X] and [C] in this mode need perfect timing, otherwise spend your Instinct on their other moves. In fist mode, stay far or airborne and watch their position.
Spirit	Their moves have long cooldowns - try to kill them before they come back.
Tiger	Instinct generally off. Punish them when they place their moves badly.
Yeti	Instinct generally off. Punish them when they place their moves badly.
Kitsune	Their moves are extremely fast. Instinct Trick is still possible, but they'll still stun you and drain a lot of Instinct. Turning Instinct on or off depends on their combo. Sky camp is a decent option.
Dragon	In base form, air camp is mandatory. Transformed, Cursed Dual Katana is excellent if you play sword - always aim for the head to force them back to base form. If you play fruit, try to empty their gauge instead of fighting them.

Counter Awakened Fruits

Fruit Awakened	How to Counter It
Flame	Same approach as non-awakened, also avoiding burn zones.
Ice	Stay mobile, Instinct Trick on [Z] and [X], Flash Step to escape [V].
Sand	Avoid being hit by Sand's [X], and stay mobile.
Dark	Watch their position and punish them immediately when they miss.
Light	Move fast, avoid [Z] and [V], punish [C].
Magma	Air camp, punish [X]'s endlag, and use your Instinct sparingly.
Quake	Air camp, Flash Step to escape [C], and never let yourself be pulled in.
Buddha	Air camp, punish their slow hitbox, watch out for M1 spam.
Spider	Avoid [X], punish their slow moves.
Phoenix	Stun them to cut their healing, punish their endlag.
Dough	Instinct off throughout the fight. Punish them when they miss their combo.

Counter Swords

The main counter to all swords is the Blade fruit.

Sword	How to Counter It
Katana and Cutlass	Keep your distance, play Instinct.
Dual Katana	Don't rush headfirst, avoid [X] then [Z] chains.
Triple Katana	Play for speed, Instinct against [Z].
Iron Mace	Stay at distance, period.
Pipe	Air camp, and avoid horizontal exchanges.
Saber	Avoid V2's [Z], dash to get away, Instinct against [X].
Rengoku	Stay mobile - both their moves break Instinct.
Tushita	Keep your distance and punish their short range.
Spikey Trident	Avoid the long range of their [X], stay mobile.
Buddy Sword	Instinct Trick on [Z], punish the held [X] that heals them.
Cursed Dual Katana	Use Flash Step to escape their moves. Instinct off during [Z] which breaks it, then turned back on when you take [X], and Flash Step to escape.
Dark Blade	Avoid the range of their [Z]. Their [X] doesn't break Instinct.
True Triple Katana	Their [Z] doesn't break Instinct - use it to punish them.

Counter Fighting Styles

Fighting Style	How to Counter It
Combat	Slow and short-range, easy to dodge.
Dark Step	Watch their Breakdance, it's predictable.
Electric	Punish a missed [C], their endlag is long.
Water Kung Fu	Maintain medium distance, you become hard to hit.
Dragon Breath	Stay very far, Instinct against [Z] and [X].
Superhuman	Instinct after their [Z] to break their chains.
Death Step	Avoid their opening [C], Instinct saves your chains.
Electric Claw	Instinct on is mandatory. Stay airborne and force them to throw their ground [C] so you can punish it, for example by stunning them with Soul Guitar's [X].
Sharkman Karate	Instinct off, and play Instinct Trick on their other moves instead.
Dragon Talon	Save Instinct Trick for their other moves. Warning - when you try to trick their [Z], they can punish you with [C]. Their [X] doesn't break Instinct, so it depends on the rest of their kit.
Godhuman	Instinct off. Their held [C] has very long range and goes out fast. [Z] counters with Instinct Trick, but watch the next move.
Sanguine Art	Punish them as soon as they miss a move. Instinct off, and try Instinct Trick on [C] - it fails their entire next combo.

Counter Guns

The Rubber fruit is immune to all guns.

Gun	How to Counter It
Slingshot	Short range, avoid their [Z] that slows.
Flintlock	Low damage, a dash is enough.
Musket	Not very threatening, dash or tank it.
Cannon	Their M1s and [X] break Instinct - don't rely on it.
Dual Flintlock	High hit rate, keep your distance.
Magma Blaster	Air camp - their short range makes them weak up high.
Refined Slingshot	Same approach as Slingshot, with more damage upfront.
Bazooka	Very slow, easy to punish.
Kabucha	Stay mobile, and try Instinct Trick on their other moves.
Acidum Rifle	Instinct on, and watch out for their other stun moves.
Venom Bow	Slow skills, avoid the [Z] explosion.
Bizarre Revolver	Never get close, or you'll get one-shot.
Dragonstorm	Try to kill them as fast as possible - your Instinct will already be gone before you even reach them.
Skull Guitar	Sky camp recommended, watch their position and movements.