Abstract Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 So in many combo videos I see Japanese Arakune's summoning bugs from a ton of places while just sitting their shielding. Is it safe to assume they have had these buttons depressed the entire time and then just release them whenever they need to? I play pad, so I know this would be hella hard for me, lol. I'm on pad too. It's kind of tough but eventually you'll get a feel for working around it. They're using the barrier to buffer button presses.
PhantomX Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 Lol, goddamn it, now I'm gonna have to start barriering normally instead of just using the shoulder like a lazy person XD
Matt Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 I think it would be better if you just applied insane amounts of pressure while the opponent is cursed rather than just sitting back and button mashing away your curse. 1:52-2:42 in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97eHOKCgu60 is a great example of this.
PhantomX Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 Obviously. But you're not always that close when you curse them, at which point it's good to be able to have a way to cover all their options while guarding.
Matt Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 I say C bug+B bug= massive win no matter where you are.
tolore Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 It's all part of a mixup tolore. If you always do the same thing you should get punished for it. In this regard, try air throws, 2B, j.A, etc. as additional anti-air options in conjunction with 5C. the problem is he doesn't do the counter till he see's me 5C, he's not predicting my 5C he's reacting to it. He does something different if I try any of the other stuff as anti air(usually he blocks and breaks throws as that covers all the bases). Mixing up my anti air options was the first thing I tried when he started doing that, I can for the most part avoid getting owned when he does it, but i almost never land a successful anti air against him.
Skye Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 1:52-2:42 in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97eHOKCgu60 is a great example of this. I can use that kind of useful ass-whoop'n information.
ryofoong Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 the problem is he doesn't do the counter till he see's me 5C, he's not predicting my 5C he's reacting to it. He does something different if I try any of the other stuff as anti air(usually he blocks and breaks throws as that covers all the bases). Mixing up my anti air options was the first thing I tried when he started doing that, I can for the most part avoid getting owned when he does it, but i almost never land a successful anti air against him. Well if that is absolutely NOT working at ALL~ You can attempt a j.A> COMBOZ. You can get owned for it so be careful. And uh I guess 2B? But that would be super scary against Hakumen x.o. If you mess up, that is.
tolore Posted September 11, 2009 Posted September 11, 2009 Yeah I already use those(sometimes jump throw also), but in general I get nothing but going back to neutral, with him much closer to me than he was before.
PhantomX Posted September 12, 2009 Posted September 12, 2009 Finally beat Score Attack mode with Arakune yesterday... instant reflexes makes cursing characters like Unlimited Ragna and Unlimited Rachel a BITCH (though it made Jin easier b/c he just stands in place trying to Shoryuken the jDs). Super satisfying when I finally got that trophy. F'ing Unlimited Ragna kept trying to Carnage Scissors through mah shit. Was better than having Rachel do her invisible Sword Iris every time I cursed her, though :\
Skye Posted September 15, 2009 Posted September 15, 2009 I have learned to abuse the teleport. My life and curse fogs are easier now.
Irrsinn Posted October 16, 2009 Posted October 16, 2009 Finally beat Score Attack mode with Arakune yesterday... instant reflexes makes cursing characters like Unlimited Ragna and Unlimited Rachel a BITCH (though it made Jin easier b/c he just stands in place trying to Shoryuken the jDs). Super satisfying when I finally got that trophy. F'ing Unlimited Ragna kept trying to Carnage Scissors through mah shit. Was better than having Rachel do her invisible Sword Iris every time I cursed her, though :\ I can't beat Score Attack... its not like I've really tried, its just a pain in the ass, besides, I want to beat it using Arakune, I've only reached Litchi, she kind of kicks my ass, I beat her around until a silver of health, but she hits me once and I'm fucked. Fucking stick.
K.I.S.S. Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 Hey guys, I'm trying to really level up my Arakune and just wanted to ask some help in establishing a solid idea of his optimal style in-match: 1. In guarding his front... -how does Ara keep opponents from approaching him directly via dash up, and etc (e.g., notable normals and specials/mobility etc)? 2. In guarding his head... -how does Ara keep opponents from approaching him from the air (e.g., IAD, j/dj/sj, etc)? 3. On defense... -what are some of his unique options of breaking pressure (whether it be taking the offensive or returning the match to neutral)? 4. On offense... -Arakune does not have the health lead: how does he go about establishing his offense? what are his mix-ups and general windows of attack? 5. What, in your opinion, is Arakune's most efficient range (close/mid/far)? 6. Which characters deserve special mention with match-ups in mind (who has to be handled especially differently)? **thanks in advance, and I do intend on reading through the threads and gathering info, but if discussion is sparked in someone, please feel free =)
Matt Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 1. 2D works at stopping dash up, but if the opponent is looking out for it they can just jump over it and punish. 2B is the best normal to use to prevent dash up because it's fast and it combos pretty well. If you have the homing cloud out or the shield cloud out, it should prevent dash up completely. 2. 2B is the absolute best option to use as an anti air because it beats out most aerial moves or the moves whiff, it is extremely safe and it goes into a 5.5k+ combo on counter hit. 5C works, it has a lot of reach and upper head invulnerability, but it isn't the safest move to use. j5A is pretty good because it can catch the opponent off guard. The bell bug is also pretty good, but only if you're 100% sure your opponent isn't going to punish you for pulling it out. Ceiling cloud is pretty good because it prevents double jumping and in conjunction with the bell bug, it prevents aerial approaches altogether. 3. IB then 5A>6B will knock the opponent away from you then give you enough time to pull out a cloud. Barrier blocking also works. If you have 50% meter, you can pull off a counter assault and if you have 100% meter, you can pull off a counter assault, distortion drive then 5D for a complete reversal and curse. 4. j5B is a fairly safe way to move in, especially if there are mind games around its usage. If the opponent doesn't look like he's paying complete attention, you can use j2A from a third of a screen away and catch him off guard. Definitely use clouds because they give you tons of control over what the opponent does. I wouldn't suggest using the bell bug at all if you are not on the health lead because it is a waste of time. 2C from (at most) a half a screen away is also pretty good to use, but only if you have 50% meter to make it safe. 5. From 3rd a screen away is the best area to be from your opponent during curse because you're close enough for all of frame traps off of bugs to work (i.e.: C bug to j2A), but not too close to be hit or grabbed out of the curse by the opponent. When you're not in curse it really depends on what cloud you have out if at all. No cloud, use air dash canceling with j5B and barrier blocking to try and get close to your opponent safely or just stay on the defense. Homing cloud, stay behind the homing cloud and punish anyone that tries to air dash over it. Shield cloud, with this one, stay on the defense and you're guaranteed to get your opponent cursed. Overhead cloud, I dunno. 6. I say, watch videos of the best Arakune players to understand the match ups. I got most of this from watching Fumo vids, so I'll just post them here if you want a video reference. http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251674 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251428 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251395 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251348 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251278 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251239 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251199 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8251084 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8372626 http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8343093 Fumo's Arakune is gdlk. If you're looking for the what to do right, watch any and all of his videos.
ryofoong Posted November 1, 2009 Posted November 1, 2009 Matt gave some really good advice except there are a few things I'll have to disagree with. When it comes to defensive options Arakune can also just plain backdash, forward dash, and other run away techniques BESIDES 5A>6b. Even though I overuse 5A>6b it sometimes gets out of range. Another important thing is that Arakune is such a versitile character that you doesn't matter what range you're at, in my opinion. I myself actually hate fighting people from far away. I really like fighting in the person's face and it usually gets me results (and sometimes losses! :D) When it comes down to matchups the ones you really look out for are the NOT straightforward characters. Those being Arakune, Nu, Rachel, Taokaka (Kinda). And then there are those which you need to know NOT to approach at all (Tager, Hakumen) without deep understanding of how they counter your moves. Watching videos and then analyzing how the player pokes through the weaknesses is good, but just watching without any basis of what to look for is useless.
Matt Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Were the suggestions I made any good? Can someone who is a good offline Arakune player please answer this.
tolore Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 2D is really dangerous if they are looking out for it, though if you have the 6D bell out it's pretty safe. I need to practice using 2B some more, but 2B is awesome, although it's out for such a short time and has such a wierd hit box so it's semi difficult to use(also requires knowledge of what exactly it beats). It's stupidly safe(it's + on block!), leads to good combos, and basically rules your opponents face. 5C i have very little respect for as an anti air, it literally doesn't work against hakumens who pay attention(counterable on reaction, IAD moves can land and block 5C). It does have a great hit box and is super awesome if you hit them, but it's too easy to stop. Your defensive options are basically 100% correct, IB 5a->6B is a great option if you know where to throw it out. It doesn't just break pressure it SHATTERS it, at mid screen or greater you get a cloud and knock them hella far away, and if they are near the corner you get a combo into curse. counter assault->super is also unbelievably amazing, it's really funny because it can basically kill the opponent, end a combo in knockdown then throw bugs at them on wakeup and watch them chip to death. i wouldn't say j.b is a good way to approach ESPECIALLY with mind games, it HAS to have mind games. It is pretty easy to anti air it, although you can clash and beat some anti airs at some distances if you are too predictable with the j.b's you'll get wrecked. Most efficient range depends on whether they are cursed or not, what clouds you have out, and who you are fighting. As for matchups, good luck on nu 13, as far as I'm concerned that matchup is unwinnable(I know it's not but I absolutely cannot figure it out). Hakumen is a lot better off than people give him credit for, but people suck so they think hakumen can't win(it's still a rough match for him but it's not even CLOSE to unwinnable). Tager on the other hand is free, you just gotta learn his blockstrings(he's got a lot of frame traps but if you're used to it you can get out of them easy). IF you are paying attention you can anti air rachel out of her pressure strings when she jumps and tries to drop on you with the pyramid thing. Rachel can also kill your clouds with her godly godly anti air(as a random note her anti air beats your 2A), but if she does you can snipe her with j.d(you can also snipe random cannons with j.d). I haven't really figured out Tao yet, mainly because I don't think our tao player has figured out arakune yet. She has really good/annoying pressure and mobility, and good air to air, but once you've got her cursed, or got some clouds and bell bugs out she has a really hard time actually getting you as long as you play conservative. Litchi's dragon punch is really good/annoying, and stay out of the corner unless you like mixup that's almost completely blocked by a spinning staff. For ragna keeping him out and having a good defense in general is really important(it's always important but ragna's pressure basically never ends unless YOU end it). Jin is tough, his A dragon punch is IMO one of the most irritating/good moves in the game, I can predict it, instant block it, and still not be able to punish it in any way. It makes jin really hard to approach from the air(and thus really hard to approach at all because our ground game sucks so much). He can also bait anti airs if he has 25% meter by IAD then using the triple ice shot. 2B is really good in the jin matchup I believe, I haven't gotten used to using it though.
Matt Posted November 13, 2009 Posted November 13, 2009 Thanks for the help, tips and matchup advice tolore. I also think 2B is awesome because so far it has beat out EVERYTHING (except for Ragna's 5C and a couple other things) and it goes into 5.5k+ combos on CH. Also, this might be a bit random, but reading your advice on Rachel reminded me of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRvevWQ8dOo @2:55. Arakune's GODLIKE 2B beats out Rachel's equally godlike 2C :D. Thanks tolore, your help is much appreciated.
VickyC REmix Posted November 14, 2009 Posted November 14, 2009 Wow you won't believe how much this helped in learning him, hell I might main the dude now!
Bommlinger Posted November 17, 2009 Posted November 17, 2009 Would any of you like a video of the C loops done on stick, including my hand and the sound of the button presses? After mastering the 6C loops (including the a bug) I thought to myself: "There's actually a pretty nice rhythm going on with the button presses". I feel it could have really helped me learning the C loops if I had the sound of the buttons beeing pressed. This forum helped me a lot, and I want to give something back.
Jarv Posted December 22, 2009 Posted December 22, 2009 Would any of you like a video of the C loops done on stick, including my hand and the sound of the button presses? After mastering the 6C loops (including the a bug) I thought to myself: "There's actually a pretty nice rhythm going on with the button presses". I feel it could have really helped me learning the C loops if I had the sound of the buttons beeing pressed. This forum helped me a lot, and I want to give something back. Yeah that'd be great! I still haven't quite mastered 6C loop
Basilisk19991 Posted January 1, 2010 Posted January 1, 2010 Arakune can be brutal, but the curse must be active, and you can't let you opponent hit you. not only that but he can turn invisible AND teleport with his dashes. overall he's one of my favorite characters.
XIVcaliber Posted January 6, 2010 Posted January 6, 2010 I'm relatively new to BlazBlue, even though I've been playing it for a while. I absolutely love playing Arakune, but I really have no foundation to base my game on other than "get curse out, kill". I was hoping some of you awesome people here could help.
Zagger Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 I'm relatively new to BlazBlue, even though I've been playing it for a while. I absolutely love playing Arakune, but I really have no foundation to base my game on other than "get curse out, kill". I was hoping some of you awesome people here could help. Same here, difference is i still haven´t got my hands on the game yet (gotta love europe). Arakune seems really fun to play even though i think it might be a bit difficult to get a grip on the games mechanics with him. You think i should just play him right away or take my time and play an easier char until i get used to the game?
Irrsinn Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 Arakune doesn't play like any other character, better get used to him as fast as possible.
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