[Other: Q&A] Rachel Alucard Gameplay Questions and Answers

[gamester]

You can't detonate them, I am sure of that. However Horizontal (left and/or right) Lotus I'm sure can be used for assistance in corner carrying and if you hit the opponent when they have Lotus on them, (I did see in one video linked somewhere) It showed you can use Lotus to get your opponent straight to the corner due to how it affects wind and Rachel movement

I'm not very good at explaining things xD Sorry I couldn't find the video I was looking for, for reference.

[tofurr]

No, their main purpose is the changes they make to wind. Check out this combo video, it shows some uses for Lotus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HiW8v2qTgU

@Gamester: I think you're talking about this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ixxznpV_xvY#t=9747s

Edited February 26, 2013 by tofurr

[gamester]

Indeed I was. Thanks for finding the link

I went through the CP Rachel General Discussion yesterday but couldn't find it xD

[Sindelian]

So you have one lotus that affects vertical direction wind and one that affects horizontal wind.

Now does the increased power of the wind affect both you AND the opponent then the bats are flying around them?

[TD]

it does. it affects poles too and possibly lotus attacks. it doesn't make pumpkin go farther or george slide faster, sadly.

b lotus allows 236ad to go fullscreen, wind related attacks like 6c and 3c not only go farther, they are really fast. corner carry from 5cdc, or 5ccd (on air foes) is very good.

l dont see much of a use for a lotus in neutral once equipped. combo wise its looking decent, and might become a decent neutral attack in with b lotus equipped. or maybe to tag an airborne haz/tao/valk with another lotus

[Sindelian]

it does. it affects poles too and possibly lotus attacks. it doesn't make pumpkin go farther or george slide faster, sadly.

b lotus allows 236ad to go fullscreen, wind related attacks like 6c and 3c not only go farther, they are really fast. corner carry from 5cdc, or 5ccd (on air foes) is very good.

l dont see much of a use for a lotus in neutral once equipped. combo wise its looking decent, and might become a decent neutral attack in with b lotus equipped. or maybe to tag an airborne haz/tao/valk with another lotus

Thanks :D

I can't wait to play around with this. I'm a fan of cross-unders so I feel like A lotus is gonna help me discover some new ones.

[Minutes]

Are there any specific tricks for landing 5C fatals in extend? I only ever get them by accident. So juicy in corner though *_*

[TD]

You're only ever going to get 5c fatal if the foe whiffs like... Inferno divider or something. Besides that, she has some situationally average frame traps with 2a 5c and 5b/2b delay 5c.

[Sindelian]

Are there any specific tricks for landing 5C fatals in extend? I only ever get them by accident. So juicy in corner though *_*

In the corner, after an oki-setup, sometimes the opponent likes to tech forward (for... some reason). 5CC will connect with a forward tech and a backward tech if you're close enough. This is only safe though if you already set up a frog (or pumpkin) because if they do a normal tech, then you're vulnerable to their attacks.

That's the only way I can pull off a 5CC starter: In the corner, hope the opponent forward techs, will immediately connect to frog. May seem very situational, but I've been successful in pulling it off lots of times.

[Celerity]

What's the best thing I can do if I'm in the corner and I tag the opponent with say, 2A? I've tried 2A > 5B > [5CD] > 3C 9D to cross under, but from there I can't seem to go into any j.2C routes because the 9D wind momentum carries through. Haven't figured out a way to end the combo with them in the corner and me getting decent oki.

[TD]

2a 5b (5cd) 3c 8d dash 5b jc 2d dj2c(lv2) dash under 5cc. Continue combo with 3c5d(w) 5b or end with a summon.

[Celerity]

Ah yes, that's much simpler, thanks for the quick reply. I was too focused on trying to use the crossunder from 9D.

Edit: Can't seem to get this combo down at all. After I dash under, if I 5CC too early it goes in the wrong direction, and if I 5CC too late they tech. What sort of height do I need to be hitting the j2C at to make this work?

Edited April 11, 2013 by Celerity

[Zoular]

I've not tried this wait, but could you first catch them in the air with the first 5C, then delay the second one so that Rachel turns before performing it.

[TD]

hit the foe at normal height with the j.2c. there is indeed a height requirement and a specific timing.

zoular, if that is happening then you are right under them. 5cc will autocorrect for you. the 'safer' bet would be to run a little past this range, because there is always a chance you wont cross under at all this way.

l understand this way is a bit difficult to do but only practice will help. however there are a few other ways to cross under.

bnb into bbl -run under, continue combo

3c 9d 5b- sometimes will cross under

3c into dash 2a cross under- reset

honestly though, if you cant consistently cross under (just yet) using these methods, thats fine, besides bbl these methods arent exact required to know, and are quite risky to be dropped. better return to neutral or do a corner carry combo.

[Prestizi]

hit the foe at normal height with the j.2c. there is indeed a height requirement and a specific timing.

...however there are a few other ways to cross under.

bnb into bbl -run under, continue combo

3c 9d 5b- sometimes will cross under

3c into dash 2a cross under- reset

...

This is actually one of the things i was going to ask a question about but since its already answered, can I ask if there are any other decent ways to swap positions? And off other kinds of hits, for example: 6a, j.b/j.c, 5b, etc? If I'm near a corner in neutral and i land some kind of hit generally I really want to swap positions but I don't always know how.

The other question i have is, what are some good options i have after landing a j.c CH, if I'm already too high or they get hit too far away or some other awkward situation.

1. When i do have double jump available

2. When i don't

3. Wind? Windless?

I get these semi-often and i usually can't figure out what to do and it feels like a waste.

To be clear, I'm asking about all situations where you can't just casually land (windless) and run up to catch with a 5B. Sometimes even the other person lands first because i tip them with j.c on my way up.

[TD]

those are the reliable ways to cross under. anything else will require some form of meter or wind and it's just not necessary at all.

if you get a jc ch and you know they'll hit the ground first, 2d quickly after the jc ch and you will land first.

jc follows regular air combo routes, start with 5b and do a combo depending on position and wind. if windless, just go for oki with 3c/5cc, or even pumpkin and george summon.

[ElegantShadow]

Hello, Rachel forums! ^^

I've been using Rachel off and on for a while now, but I've never been able to quite grasp her fully, and with CP on the horizon, I'd like to at least have a good understanding of how to play her before then.

So my questions are:

In some combos, I've noticed that somehow you can get J.2C to hit at level 2-3, what I'm wondering is how this is done, and is it difficult to do?

What are the best situations to use 6B and 6A defensively?

How (I'm ashamed to ask this) do I zone using her flower buds? I, for the life of me, can't seem to figure it out.

How do I preform her instant overhead?

And would (I use a controller) putting my Drive on a shoulder-button instead of on X help with using her Wind correctly? (That's a strange question to ask, I know, I tend to do that when I use Carl and it actually works, so I'm wondering if the same would work for Rachel as well?).

Do keep in mind that I have read many of the guides in these forums about how to use Rachel, but it's just not clicking for some strange reason.

Any help will be MUCH appreciated. ^^

[Zoular]

@Prestizi and TD

Regarding CH j.C, this is just theory, I get j.C too often myself and in these situations

With double available: CH j.C > dj.B > j.C > 2D > 5B > j.C > jc > 2Dj.2C(lvl2) > 236B > j.C > j.C > Iris

Without: CH j.C > 2D > dash 5B

CH j.C > 2D > dash > j.B > j.C > 2D > dj.C > j.C > dj.C > j.236A

Please correct anything here, I do wish to make better use of those random CH j.Cs, good practice until 6A > 4B in CP. It all depends how far you are from your opponent I suppose.

@ElegantShadow

How (I'm ashamed to ask this) do I zone using her flower buds? I, for the life of me, can't seem to figure it out.

you can manipulated the arc of the Lobelia with wind, using 236A > 8D mid screen could keep your opponent at bay, giving you enough time to summon pumpkin, 236A > 9D is good full screen for the same reason.

Versus a zoner or someone at full screen again, with 214B > j.236A > 6D > 9(jump) > 214.C would keep your oppoent in place giving you a chance to apply pressure.

Generally you'll can use 236B to keep people from approaching you while you try to set up, or if you get a CH with the ones I mentioned, you can do Iris for a knock down to get a free summon again.

What are the best situations to use 6B and 6A defensively?

6A is a really good anti-air, with guard point, you pretty beat most air approaches from your opponent? xD Watch out for those double jumpers that try to bait it out with neutral jumps, i.e Jin with j.2C

6B I use to get more space honestly, or to out poke someone if I'm in the corner, hoping for a CH. 6B doesn't have the best of range, so it don't think this is good to use with approaching.

How do I preform her instant overhead?

Go in training mode, set the dummy to crouch, block all and try practising jump cancels after 5B/5A, and performing 2Dj.A after it, until you get the hang of it. Try on all characters but Noel, Hazama, Litchi first. With those three you'll have to delay the j.A or go for j.B instead, someone else can answer how to deal with that.

Hope what I answered for you is helpful

Edited June 7, 2013 by Zoular

[Venussail91]

Dammit, I was going to answer the post. Ah well, you guys probably did a better job than me anyway lol.

[Tari]

In certain situations, going from a j.C CH into j.[C] allows you to get a second j.C and continue comboing from there, as well. Not always worth it, of course.

Hello, Rachel forums! ^^

I've been using Rachel off and on for a while now, but I've never been able to quite grasp her fully, and with CP on the horizon, I'd like to at least have a good understanding of how to play her before then.

So my questions are:

1) In some combos, I've noticed that somehow you can get J.2C to hit at level 2-3, what I'm wondering is how this is done, and is it difficult to do?

2) What are the best situations to use 6B and 6A defensively?

3) How (I'm ashamed to ask this) do I zone using her flower buds? I, for the life of me, can't seem to figure it out.

4) How do I preform her instant overhead?

5) And would (I use a controller) putting my Drive on a shoulder-button instead of on X help with using her Wind correctly? (That's a strange question to ask, I know, I tend to do that when I use Carl and it actually works, so I'm wondering if the same would work for Rachel as well?).

Do keep in mind that I have read many of the guides in these forums about how to use Rachel, but it's just not clicking for some strange reason.

Any help will be MUCH appreciated. ^^

1) It's a height and speed dependent thing. I don't have any video tutorials on hand, but for the level 2 j.2C combos, it's mostly about timing the 2D and the jump cancel correctly. It's a bit weird when you're starting, but it's pretty easy to do once you figure it out.

The level 3 j.2C is a guaranteed mid-combo fatal, and it's typically done after Baden Baden Lily (you will very rarely see it off of a normal frog combo). It also comes down to timing, mostly, though the height that you start your j.2C at is more important here.

2) 6B is a decent ranged poke, and it's useful if you think a player might try to approach you or throw something out at mid-range. It's also good in certain blockstrings, if you believe a player will try mashing in a gap somewhere.

6A is Rachel's anti-air. Huge hitbox, decent recovery on whiff (hence why you see people spam it), very good combo paths on CH, and can break projectiles due to the way the hitbox and invuln properties are set. There's not much I can say about it. Just try using it as an anti-air against jump-ins a bunch to get used to the timing. Check out the size of the active hitbox, too: http://www.dustloop.com/guides/bbcse/hitbox/rachel/6A.html (the red area is what you're looking at)

3) The updated Rachel Gameplay Guide by _kro and sakaku covers basically everything about how to zone with lobelias and pumpkins. It's mostly screen denial. You want control over as much of the screen as you can get, and you want the opponent to be on the other side of all of your zoning tools until you decide it's time to move in. That way, if the opponent tries to come to you, you'll have lightning rods, pumpkins, frogs, and whatever normal moves you want to use ready for defense.

Remember that a lot of zoning is dependent on good understanding of what your opponent wants to do, and your denial of that option. For example, if he wants to jump and air-dash forward, you do 236B and cut that avenue of approach off, or you throw a pumpkin in his face, or you do 236A with an 8/9 wind. If you have a frog out, the third option will probably cause the opponent to block, land on the frog, and get stuck in blockstun for a while, as well.

Defensive zoning and screen control basically means that you should, while your tools are available or deployed, always have a way to deny any of your opponent's options.

4) 5B > 2D > 9j.A is one of the more common ways to get used to it. Having said that, if you're comfortable with your inputs, I suggest not doing the 2D before jumping (ie: do 5B > 9j.2DA instead) because it carries the risk of causing you to super-jump. The early 2D also gives the opponent an extra few frames to react to the wind animation itself (though this is useful for baiting a high block and instead gatling into a 2B for the low). As a result, generally speaking, doing 2D after you jump cancel is better. Make sure you jump forwards when performing it, though, or you run some risk of whiffing the possible follow-ups, or even of whiffing the initial j.A.

Remember that the instant j.A overhead doesn't work on certain characters (Litchi, for example), so you either have to delay it or use j.B with a slightly different timing. Of course, you won't really get an overhead that's as fast as possible in those cases, but it's still not bad.

5) That's player preference, honestly. If you think it might work for you, go ahead and try it. I used to play around with Rachel on pad with just the face buttons, with wind at the bottom (clockwise from bottom: D, A, B, C), but I've basically stopped playing pad at all these days.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Tari

[ElegantShadow]

Thank you, Zoular and Tari for the advice. This all should be of great help to me.

[Venussail91]

Is there any way to get George to fully hit Makoto? He always stops after the first two or three it seems. Am I doing something wrong?

[Tari]

Is there any way to get George to fully hit Makoto? He always stops after the first two or three it seems. Am I doing something wrong?

Are you talking about BBL combos? You have to take a different combo path against Makoto (BBL > lvl3 j.2C > George summon > 5CC > 236A will fail on her after the 236A, iirc), or burn wind for 2D to keep her lower in the air, iirc.

Can't recall the Makoto specific combos, though. I rarely get a chance to use them nowadays, so it seems to have just faded from my memory. Might've involved 5BB > 5CC or 6B > 5CC around where the 236A is, but again... can't remember. I'd test it, but I actually have to head out in a few minutes. Maybe someone else can answer the question in the meantime?

Edited June 11, 2013 by Tari

[Zoular]

5CC > dash 3C(3 hits) > (frog) works

you can still 236A after 3C and continue with Iris and pumpkin oki

[Stoneroth]

4) 5B > 2D > 9j.A is one of the more common ways to get used to it. Having said that, if you're comfortable with your inputs, I suggest not doing the 2D before jumping (ie: do 5B > 9j.2DA instead) because it carries the risk of causing you to super-jump. The early 2D also gives the opponent an extra few frames to react to the wind animation itself (though this is useful for baiting a high block and instead gatling into a 2B for the low). As a result, generally speaking, doing 2D after you jump cancel is better. Make sure you jump forwards when performing it, though, or you run some risk of whiffing the possible follow-ups, or even of whiffing the initial j.A.

Remember that the instant j.A overhead doesn't work on certain characters (Litchi, for example), so you either have to delay it or use j.B with a slightly different timing. Of course, you won't really get an overhead that's as fast as possible in those cases, but it's still not bad.

I was just going to ask for some insight into performing Rachel's instant overhead, so luckily I checked the previous page and pretty much found my answer.

Basically, I want to know if it's worth me learning to input 5B > 2D > 9j.A?

I am already comfortable inputting 5B > 9j.2DA for her instant overhead but the Mixup/Pressure Compendium challenged me into thinking I wasn't doing it optimally.

I have been practicing inputting the 2D before the jump but am struggling with it a bit. I'm basically attempting to land the j.A > j.B > jc > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.C block-string but generally the downwards wind will disappear before the jump-cancel or I will just super-jump right at the start. So, I'm basically inputting the wind too early or just super-jumping at this point. I think I've managed to land it legitimately a few times out of countless attempts.

I know you can bait a high block with the wind and then 2B instead, as Tari explained, and the j.A seems slightly lower but is there much other advantage in inputting 2D before the jump?

Also, are there any tips into landing 5B > 2D > 9j.A > j.B > jc > j.B > j.A > j.B > j.C?

Or is it just practise, practise, practise, like everything else?