Keep your eyes on the ’Paca, Oli!
 
(Man, this comic took longer to make than expected, but was still fun!)
 
As with any character, especially Paprika who lacks any spammable projectile or ranged attacks, you need to take advantage of any opening your opponent gives you. And if they won’t give one, you’ll need to make one.
 
Mix-ups and cross-ups are the tools of a good player. Paprika’s body slam, and the 2nd and 3rd hits of Free T-shirt all hit overhead, so they can be used for mix-ups. The body slam comes out fast and has a surprisingly long reach, while the Free T-shirt hits can be delayed to catch your opponent off guard, making them think you’ve canceled the combo early.
 
Her mini-jumps with heavy are also useful to hit high by staying low, giving a lot of options for combos that include jump cancels. But I always get too manic and excited when playing to be able to lightly tap the jump button. No, I mash and fly completely over head then grumble furiously into my controller as I mess up another combo.