CM-E

CM-E is the fifth and last core movement in the Saber Standard.

It is a quick movement that combines multiple partner attacks, and it works as either a 1-on-1 or a 2-on-1 scenario. Special moves act as milestones between switching partners.

Notation

CM-E is written in two tables — one for each half of the exchange.

First exchange

Player	s1	s2	s3	s4	s5	s6	s7
Saberist A	9	4	8	5	11	3X	Special
Saberist B	9P	4P	8P	5P	11P	3X

Second exchange

Player	s1	s2	s3	s4	s5	s6	s7
Saberist A	2P	10P	3P	7P	1X	Special
Saberist B or C	2	10	3	7	1X

Three things to read carefully:

The roles invert between tables. Saberist A attacks through the first exchange and defends through the second.
X is a lock. It appears in both rows at the same step, because a lock is something the two Saberists do together rather than one doing to the other.
The third row label is a choice. Saberist B or C is what makes CM-E a 2-on-1 movement: the second exchange may be answered by the same partner or by a new one stepping in.

Telegraph

Saber goes horizontally across the chest in a slow cut.

The telegraph is the silent signal that calls CM-E before an exchange begins. See LUMINA Games for how telegraphs are used in play.

Special moves and counters

CM-E introduces the special move: a step written into the notation as Special rather than as a target line.

Each exchange runs a short series of attacks, closes into a lock, and resolves with a special move. The special move is a milestone — it marks the seam where partners switch, and it is where a movement stops being a drill and starts being a performance.

Because the notation names the slot without prescribing its contents, CM-E is the first movement that leaves a decision to the Saberists performing it. What fills a Special is chosen for the scene being built; what the notation guarantees is that both Saberists know a special move belongs there, and when.

The lock at 3X and 1X is what sets it up. A lock brings the exchange to a standstill and gives both Saberists a shared, stationary moment — the natural place to change partners or resolve.

Purpose

CM-E is designed to teach:

combining attacks from multiple partners in one movement
1-on-1 and 2-on-1 scenarios from the same notation
locks, noted X
the Special slot and where it belongs in a sequence
switching partners at a written milestone
inverting attacker and defender between exchanges

Training method

Phase 1: Static walkthrough

Run each exchange separately, and run it 1-on-1 before attempting 2-on-1.

Take the attacks one at a time, then set the lock deliberately. After each step, confirm:

both Saberists know who is attacking in this exchange
the lock is entered with control, not collided into
distance is safe
the movement can be repeated

Decide what the special move will be before running the sequence. Do not improvise it during practice.

Phase 2: Slow continuous flow

Perform both exchanges without stopping, still 1-on-1.

The seam is the lock into the special move. Practice steps 5 through 7 of the first exchange on their own until the transition out of the lock is smooth.

If either Saberist loses the sequence, stop and restart from Step 1.

Phase 3: Add the second opponent

Only once the 1-on-1 version is clean, bring in Saberist C for the second exchange.

The incoming Saberist must know the whole sequence, not just their own entry. Walk the switch statically before running it.

Teaching note

CM-E should be taught as a language drill, not as a fight.

Two hazards belong to this movement specifically. A lock puts two Saberists at close quarters with blades engaged, so it is entered slowly and by agreement. And a 2-on-1 exchange means someone is moving into the space while an exchange is already live — that entry is choreographed, never spontaneous.

CM-E completes the Core Library. When it is clean, both Saberists have the shared vocabulary that every later movement builds on, and the Extended Library is open.