[CT] Taokaka vs. Hakumen

[XDest]

I assume the 5k combo you speak of is the one that goes ch j.d->airdash j.c->horizontal drive loop->j.5d~a->vertical drive loop->236bb->236bbbb ender or mixup airthrow ender (when they're at the very top of the stage), right? I really gotta hit training mode and learn to capitalize on that.

j.D~B [hit] taunt 236CC 2D~6 j.C 9D~9 j.C 9D~9 236BB 236BBBB 2D~6 [4997 (I think)]

[qwerty]

i would fill this thread with pro anti-hakumen strats except a certain mod of a certain forum knows them much better than i do because i do not play tao

[TaoFTW]

i would fill this thread with pro anti-hakumen strats except a certain mod of a certain forum knows them much better than i do because i do not play tao

OKAY my good sir, you asked for it! >:3

Tao's matchup against Hakumen is not bad at all. The only edge he has against you is damage and zoning, but both are easy to handle.

First rule of thumb:

1) Hakumen is NOT intimidating without stars. The most he can do to scare you is 6a your air mixups for little damage, shield counter your pressure mixups, and throw. He may use air dash j.c to close the gap, but you can jump, jump and jump till time runs out. Jump to make the 6a wiff, THROW whenever he uses shield counters, and break throw mixups...or jump to make it wiff. FYI, everything hakumen throws out - except 5a - is unsafe on block without stars.

Dominate Hakumen early in the game.

2) If he has stars, then you better reconsider your approach.

Hakumen has otaru(?), whatever it's called, which is his air kick DP. I've tried to IB and air grab him while he was still in the DP animation, but it wiffed. I don't recommend you try to out zone him air-to-air. I do recommend you make full use of your jumps. Hakumen is only intimidating when he's on top of you...with stars. He can do his hi/lo mixup, cancel EVERY combo into a super while scoring a knockdown, and do his air spinning sword hi mixup.

3) Using random drive attacks for pressure is suicide. 6a, 5c, and 6c will all DESTROY you from afar. MacBlunts summarizes this pretty well,

IF YOU CAN, tag his IAD startup with a j.C or a j.D, otherwise backdash his j.C and counter poke him according to what he does when he lands. He'll either stop doing IAD j.C or block when you backdash in which case you need to dash and kara-throw him.

Tao can charge 2C, 5C, 6C. Bait counters for GREAT justice. His mixup isn't too hard to read.

Don't dick around with your D button in this match. One counterhit and you're fucked.

4) Use high pressure close range mixups. Hakumen has no - no masu - reversal, dp or normals that'll beat Tao up close (except 5a and 6a, but IB that). The best he can do is throw random counters and pray for a hit. So don't be afraid to stay close and pressure him.

Im having afew problem with hakumen too. not the cpu. Lately every hakumen I've played lately has backed-up n stayed crouch. they just wait. And anytime I try to get close to get a hard slash or drive catches me. and 1 of of hakumen's combos nearly kill me.

They wait cause they're gaining meter. Making a Hakumen wait is only asking for trouble. You have three jumps! Use them to your advantage and bait some hard slashies. "Rush that shit down!" (CopperDabbit).

Being cautious isn't bad, but being overly cautious isn't any better.

Am I the only one that has a problem beating Hakumen?

Even facing the CPU I get my ass handed to me because of his defensive play. Every time I try to open up on him he (usually blocks) and counters with an obscene amount of damage. I know the whole "be unpredictable" thing and "tao is an offensive player!!" But damn Hakumen for some reason bugs me worse than anyone at the moment.

Also, getting the freaking combos off are ridiculous, you really have to do them perfectly or he air techs out of them. I'm talking no gaps in the freaking combo. Practice makes perfect but son of a this is getting annoying to link any of her combos. Air tech has to be the the most annoying thing I've ever encountered while training, and obviously it shows you must spend a ton of time working on them.

I've been working on one of her BnB combos from the disc: the one that starts off with a 4BC and goes into a 214C. Mother of God, I thought I had it down, but low and behold I turned air techs on in training and I can't seem to knock them back up in the air after I do the 214BB -> C on the way down. The 7d almost never hits.

Also with the 2a -> 5B -> 2B -> 6a (two hits) -> 6a (two hits) the freakin second 6a almost never hits since they air tech out of it !! Damnit!! Anyways thanks for reading. Had to vent there folks

Edit: Nobody?? Seems like when I play arcade mode I smoke everyone except when it gets to Hakumen/v-13 I get blown away.

Force your Hakumen opponents to feel pressured enough to throw counter shields. After that, punish for great justice. Against the computer, just run away to the opposite side of the screen and do kitty litter. Do that against Hakumen, Tager and Jin.

What are people using as anti j.C?

From what I've noticed 6A is out of the question since it will always get stuffed unless you're running under him while doing it. It seems very tricky whiff punishing it with Tao j.C because of Haku's range on his j.C so you get to move too late for j.C to work unless you were already in the air to begin with.

j.A has too short range to get in there before his j.C comes out unless you're in the air first, I'm going to test this one out some more.

Instablocking it in the air or on the ground doesn't seem to give anything since I'm still forced to block.

Maybe I will try experimenting using the command crawl against it, but I have a nagging feeling that the awesomeness of Haku j.C will hit the unhittable crawl.

Jump, IB, Beserker Barrage, jump IB, super jump, and jump some more. Everything Hakumen uses, that's remotely zoning, is unsafe on Just Defending. IB and dash in for a 5b punish. If they have stars, then use a reversal for hit confirmation.

[qwerty]

OKAY my good sir, you asked for it! >:3

and ye shall receive!

FYI, everything hakumen throws out - except 5a - is unsafe on block without stars.

don't forget that 6A is +2 and gatlings into 6B for gdlk frame trap.

Hakumen has otaru(?), whatever it's called, which is his air kick DP. I've tried to IB and air grab him while he was still in the DP animation, but it wiffed. I don't recommend you try to out zone him air-to-air. I do recommend you make full use of your jumps. Hakumen is only intimidating when he's on top of you...with stars. He can do his hi/lo mixup, cancel EVERY combo into a super while scoring a knockdown, and do his air spinning sword hi mixup.

hotaru, and yes, it will destroy everything you have in the air. hakumen also has a good air throw too, don't forget.

Use high pressure close range mixups. Hakumen has no - no masu - reversal, dp or normals that'll beat Tao up close (except 5a and 6a, but IB that). The best he can do is throw random counters and pray for a hit. So don't be afraid to stay close and pressure him.

i'd also be weary of 5B, but other than that yes.

also, hakumen's best "reversal" is instant blocking into a counter.

[Ronove]

Precious tips indeed, thanks boss and thank qwerty! I rarely have problems versus Hakumen, the times I lost were because I was too predictable/repetitive with my blockstrings allowing him to either go for IB->counter or barrier->jump when he knew I'd go for a string of lows (2a->2b->2a etc). And yeah, one counterhit and it's like 3/4 of the bar gone (provided he has enough starts). So I'd say that Tao has the upper hand but you can't really screw around too much either, but hey neither can Hakumen anyway.

[MacArthur Blunts]

I've been having luck lately with jumping into his j.C and IBing then throwing out a j.A. I believe the only thing he can do about it is 5A when he lands. Kyle told me this and it has worked like a charm online. Also, jumping and IBing you can always jump again after the IB and still be in the air for further shenanigans. IB is the man in this matchup. But watch out for jackG he'll just airdash airthrow to piss you off. Answer to that is just a nice, homely CH 5C.

[mAc Chaos]

Can't he do hotaru once you block?

[TaoFTW]

Can't he do hotaru once you block?

Level 1 yomi: Hakumen - uses j.c

Level 2 ": (Tao) IB -> JC

Level 3 ": (H) Hotaru

Level 4 ": (T) IB -> JC -> whatever punish.

Level 5 ": (H) JC -> j.d

Level 6 ": (T) If j.d, then grab.

Veteru says, "Just about everything becomes unsafe on IB."

[qwerty]

hotaru is jump cancellable. plus you can j.D as soon as it recovers so...