New modes, sweeping (sometimes gimmicky) changes to the combat system, and shiny new coats of paint are often the broad strokes that sell players on a fighting game sequel, but sometimes – even often – the real joy is in new characters. Injustice 2

great Swamp Thing primer if you're unfamiliar), and his toolset is full of unorthodox moves that come together to form a play style that’s anything but typical. If I had to boil it down I’d say he’s a hybrid zoner/grappler that’s best played reactively, but can become aggressive under the right circumstances. Surface similarities to Injustice 1’s Solomon Grundy are completely superficial; I’ve never really played a character quite like Swamp Thing in a fighting game.

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“ ...this is no Hadouken.

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“ Swampy doesn’t need to take insane risks to threaten with his signature command grab.

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“ ...there’s no range at which you can totally ignore Swamp Thing’s options...

His unique feel doesn’t come from a single move, or a radical central concept either. It stems from subtleties that change how familiar move archetypes are applied. A simple example is his projectile attack, Log Kick. Just like it sounds, he kicks a log across the screen towards his opponent, but this is no Hadouken.Bio Fission is another way the lumbering guardian of Mother Earth can keep long-range zoners honest. He creates a clone of himself that appear behind his opponent to strike at them. Unlike Supergirl’s teleportation move, Bio Fission is relatively slow, and doesn’t actually reposition you when you use it. The only exception is if you meter-burn it and connect with it, in which case you score a knockdown, and replace your clone. Neat.Projectiles and teleport-style attacks are staples of NRS games, but neither Log Kick or Bio Fission is of the “do it until your opponent figures it out” variety. They aren’t powerful, safe tools to impose your will with; they have specific use cases for punishing the types of tactics that are typically very strong against big, slow, grappler types, which makes them feel more thoughtful and rewarding to use.This is pretty game-changing for a grappler. Swampy doesn’t need to take insane risks to threaten with his signature grab like, say, Zangief has to in order to land a Spinning Piledriver. Not only that, but the presence of an anti-air version means that the usual method for escaping command grabs (jumping) doesn’t save you from it either.So he doesn’t need to be in your face to give you a big, mossy hug, but if he is, he has another grab to use altogether. Green Thumb is relatively quick, and has three possible follow ups.These options are all available for the meter-burned version as well, which actually heals Swamp Thing before you execute a follow-up. Green Thumb is fast enough to tick into, like after your opponent blocks a crouching light attack, making it a versatile command grab that allows you to heal and create situations as opposed to inflicting maximum damage.As you begin to put all the pieces together, you realize that there’s no range at which you can totally ignore Swamp Thing’s options, which is a crazy notion to consider for a grappler. The guessing game that grapplers usually play is being played across almost the entire level, so despite his combo potential being relatively low, he continually rewards defensive players who can make good reads. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a grappler like him, and it’s this outside-the-box approach to character design that really sets Injustice 2 apart from its contemporaries.

Vincent Ingenito is IGN's foremost fighting game nerd. Follow him on Twitter and help him sort out his Street Fighter 5 character crisis.