[CPEX] Jin vs Mu

[cadacus_ater]

 

Initial Notes and Match Start

Mu is a long-mid range zoning character who sets delayed projectile traps of a sort, known as steins, to boost her pressure and combos and help her interrupt your own attempts to pressure or attack her. Her damage is somewhat average among the whole cast, lower than Jin’s damage for the most part, and her HP is a bit low. To make up for this however, she has respectable mobility and one of the best DPs in the game. In the hands of an average player, she is decent, but in the hands of a skilled player, she can be quite formidable.

At match start, your best bet is jumping forward while Barrier blocking. Her normals will usually trade with your own, but to her advantage. A few exceptions to this are your 3C against her 2B at a long range and your 5C against her 5C at close range. You will want to close the gap between you, but beware of getting stopped by her steins and long range pokes.

 

 

 

Neutral

Full Screen

At full screen, she has the clear advantage, where she can set steins up as she pleases to harass you and ease her approach to her ideal long-mid range game. Watch out for her stein placement and timing. Be careful using your ice swords; more often than not, you will eat a stein. Steins take some time to fire, so you have a decent chance to throw out an ice sword right after she sets one up. Don’t spam ice swords though, they will not help you much in the long run unless you actually hit her with one.

Hitting her will stop any steins on the field from firing their delayed laser, but they can still be used for her laser special that bounces a bolt between steins and her stein detonator, which makes them explode. Focus on trying to get in safely with careful dashing and jumping, using Barrier block to stop your ground momentum as needed or to avoid damage.

Long-Mid Range

At long and mid-range, she has a slight advantage over you, with normals that are faster than your own or that have better hitboxes. Her 5C is a little slower than yours, but at sufficient distance it can trade to her advantage, letting her get off a full combo. She can’t use steins as freely at this range, but will try to mix them into her combos to set you up. Be careful of her 214A projectile, which can stuff your projectiles easily with its multiple hits and keep you in block stun for a good while. You will want to look for openings to start closing in to close range, where you can get momentum more easily. Be careful of dashing in with 2B though; her own 2B is really strong and could beat yours if she calls you out. Low profiling her normals rarely works out anyway, with how big their hitboxes are.

She can use 6C as well at this range, which is faster than your 2D. Don’t get FC from it or you could eat 3.6k damage or so, and be carried a good distance to the corner. Even if you block it though, she can stein cancel it and jump away to avoid being punished by your max range 2D.

Air-to-air is somewhat in your favor, as your j.C comes out faster than hers and seems to have longer range. Just be careful if she is higher up than you of her j.2C, which could smack you down with its rather large hitbox.

Point Blank

At close and point blank range, you generally have the advantage but she has some fairly useful tools of her own. Watch out for her 6B; the first hit can be blocked while crouching, but the second hit is an overhead. If she wants to, she can special cancel the first hit with a Crush Trigger or even Rapid Cancel it and go into 2B for mix-up.

Also watch for air throw, 6A and 2C when approaching from the air. 2C can be baited if you are ready for it with a double jump and punished. 6A does not hit as high, but it has a good amount of head invulnerability and a decent horizontal range, even hitting behind her to an extent. 6A also allows her to reverse gatling into 5B and can go into 2B if she hasn’t used it yet.

Be careful of her 2B, it is a very strong normal with respectable range and a fast 8 frame startup. At this distance, it beats nearly everything you can throw at it aside from a jump or a DP. Always be careful of her 623C DP too, it has very strong invulnerability and hits all around her. It knocks you back a good distance if it connects, but gives you a free punish if you block it and she can’t RC it.

 

 

 

Offense and Defense

Your Offense vs Her Defense

Your offense is reasonable against her defense. Watch out for her 623C and drive her to the corner when you can to keep her from using her back dash to escape. Get in her face when you get momentum and approach with caution otherwise with well-spaced 5C and 5B. Jump in carefully, watching for her 2C so that you can jump to avoid it and then punish her.

Her Offense vs Your Defense

Her offense may be a little less stable than yours at close range, but it is still respectable. She can make things difficult for you at longer and longer distances though. You can DP if you think you can get away with it, but her DP is better and can beat you if you get predictable. Jump away if you have to, but you give her room to set up steins if you don’t keep close to her. You are usually better off Barrier blocking and IB her to get out of pressure. Make sure you try and chase her down when she tries to retreat after an unsuccessful block string.

 

 

 

Gimmicks and Miscellaneous Info

Gimmicks

She can use j.B to cross you up rather safely. She can also use her special, Ikutachi (63214B), to cross you up as well, but you can block, or even duck under it at some distances to avoid it. Be careful of trying to counter it however, as she can DP after it in some cases to stuff your attempt to do so if you are too slow.

Hitting her, even if she blocks, causes all steins on the field to not use their delayed laser in non-OD.

Be careful of her steins hitting you out of combos, especially after she uses 236C/j.236C, the bouncing laser bolt.

Her aerial hitbox is rather wide, allowing you to land j.C > j.2C > j.2C > j.C > j.214C more easily off of some combos. However, it is not very tall either, which causes some corner combo strings to whiff, namely 214B(whiff)~C > 2B will not pick up with 2B or will whiff the C in the corner and air hit 6B > 5B will not work, which means 6C > 6B > 5B is not an option against her.  You can use air hit 6B > 5A instead, but be careful of the reduced damage and shorter combo time of 5A.  You will probably need to rework a few combos against her that have A or B starters to re-optimize damage and oki. Somewhat fortunately for you, your hitbox is slim, making her CH 5C > 6C whiff if she is too close. She can still use CH 5C > 63214C(max charge) for a combo with nearly the same damage.

Her OD lets her steins fire lasers independently multiple times, increases the number of bounces for her 236D laser, and maxes the number of hits from detonating her steins with 214D.

Misc. Info

Jump cancelable ground normals: 5A, 2A, 5B, 5C, 2C (on hit), 6A, 3C

Some info to sum up her moves to watch for:

• 2B is very strong against you at the correct range.
• 5C is a good poke that comes out faster than your 5C at the tip, but slower everywhere else. Very long stagger on CH.
• 2C is a high hitting AA and used to extend ground bounce combos from air hit 6B.
• 3C is a decent ender and can also combo into her Astral Heat.
• 6A is a decent AA that has little vertical range, but grants head invulnerability frames. Can reverse gatling into 5B and, if not used earlier, 2B.
• 6B can be blocked crouching on the first hit (CPEX), but the second hit is an overhead. She can cancel the first hit with a RC to get a low in for mix-up. Can cause FC.
• 6C seems punishable at first glance, but it can be stein canceled to make it safe. Can cause FC.
• j.2C has a large hitbox, making it a decent move with good spacing for jump ins. Can be countered without too much trouble if you are prepared.
• 623C is a very strong DP; watch out for it.
• 236A can put you in block stun for a while and stuffs your projectiles. Used on the ground, it travels horizontally in a straight line for a good distance, then curves up sharply. Used in the air, it will not travel as far horizontally, and it curves down instead of up.
• 63214B is usually only used in combos, but it can cross you up if she feels gutsy. DP C is a reasonably good answer for it if you are quick enough.
• Steins…steins…steins. Watch for them.

 

 

 

Frame Advantage, Disadvantage, and Punishes (WIP)

Frame Advantage

She does not have very good frame advantage in general, but she can usually deal with it fairly well. Her 2B is +0 on block though.

Frame Disadvantage

Most of her normals with frame disadvantage can be special or stein canceled. Even j.2C can be special canceled into j.236A to avoid some of the landing recovery, though this can be beaten if you are fast enough. Her 236D laser special has a lot of startup and can be punished if you get to her in time. 623C is also a free punish if you block it and she has no meter.

Punishes

Air dash over 236A at the right spacing (around your max 2D range) and use j.2C/j.D for a counter combo.

Block 623C (-26) and punish with whatever you like, assuming she can't RC it.

 

 

 

Summary

I would put this match up at roughly 4.5/5.5 in Mu’s favor, maybe an even 5/5. This matchup is very dynamic; things can go extremely well or extremely poorly for both sides. Your higher HP and damage help make the match easier despite her steins and range, but you have to get in or you will likely get zoned out of victory.

 

 

Edited August 11, 2015 by cadacus_ater