[CT] Rachel Alucard Guide - Not Getting Enough Hate

[kro_]

Update history:

11/19/09 - Finished section III, mostly finished section IV, conclusion

10/19/09 - Finished zoning

10/18/09 - Started section III and zoning

10/15/09 - Made some minor corrections, finished combo tutorial

10/8/09 - Fleshed out combo tutorial

10/6/09 - Introduction, outline, started combo tutorial

Welcome~

Before continuing on any further, refer to these links for basic information about Blazblue and Rachel in particular:

Notation and System Mechanics

Rachel Alucard Move Description

Rachel Alucard Revolver Action Table

Rachel Alucard Frame Data

I. Introduction

This guide is intended to cover most of your questions regarding how to learn and play Rachel effectively. This is neither a beginner's guide to Blazblue nor is it a combo or matchup thread. Instead, we will be taking a look at some of the more abstract topics such as:

• Breaking down combos into more manageable fragments
• Categorizing those fragments to suit specific situations
• Piece-by-piece construction of combos using both basic and advanced examples with descriptions and commentary
• Avoiding common pitfalls in combo execution
• Zoning strategies
• Rushdown and blockstrings
• Defense and breaking out of pressure
• Managing wind meter and maintaining the advantage
• Okizeme setups and responses
• Miscellaneous tips and tricks

If you're still here, then you must be interested in learning how to play Rachel... or possibly how to beat her. Well, it's not that easy. Let's take a look at some of her pros and cons:

Pros:

Solid zoning game

Strong rushdown/mixup game

Ridiculous oki game (both midscreen and corner)

Best anti-air normal (6a)

Excels at maintaining pressure/lockdown

Versatile; wind = temporary god-mode

Small crouching hitbox lets her duck under many attacks

Cons:

Slow, short range normals in general

Lack of a DP

Hard time breaking out of pressure

Few options without wind

Requires management of multiple resources: wind meter, frog/pole/pumpkin positioning

Large hitbox during knockdown allows for many Rachel specific combos

Generally speaking, the pros outweigh the cons more significantly as your skill level increases. Her learning curve tends to be higher, but the payout is one of the best. Mastery of wind is not only fun and rewarding, but incredibly powerful as well.

This guide will start out pretty basic, but should grow more extensive as additional contributions are made. Both newbies and pros alike should be able to find something useful in here. So sit back, pour yourself a cup of tea (I prefer Earl Grey myself), and prepare to be the recipient of copious amounts of knowledge.

Class is now in session~

[kro_]

II. Combo Tutorial

Note: This section is meant to introduce players to some common Rachel combos, provide tips in making them more manageable, and give reasoning on why the combos are the way they are. All combo examples listed are good, solid combos but may not be the most efficient. For a complete combo listing, check out Soniti's excellent combo thread here.

Every combo has starters, filler, and enders. Your basic goal as Rachel is to do something that will let you hit the opponent with 5b when you are close. Why 5b? Because it is jump-cancellable and can be chained to many attacks.

(Starter) > 5b > (Filler) > (Ender)

Everything else is just small variations to one or more of these 3 aspects. The starters vary to account for standing/crouching/far/close opponents, the filler varies if there are character specific constraints, and the ender varies depending on whether you want max damage, okizeme, or if the filler demands it. The key is to identify basic patterns and change them to suit the situation.

If they're in the air, you do an air combo. If they're on the ground, you do a ground combo. Air combos are simpler and can always be relied upon to get some quick easy damage with no wind requirement. They can also be used as enders to short ground combos.

Air combos

Air combos generally go like this:

(launcher) > 5b (jump cancel) > (jumping attacks) > (ender)

Your most common launchers are:

-6a | uppercut; useful as an anti-air

-3c9d | low attack; sweep with upward wind

-CH 2c 2d | chair counterhit with downward wind; occasionally useful for escaping pressure

-throw 7d dash | wind them backwards and upwards to juggle

-airthrow 2d 2b | wind yourself downwards faster to OTG, not the opponent

-5b | use directly on a falling opponent i.e. after baiting a burst, 6a counterhit

After the 5b, the filler is generally always the same, but you can extend the filler by using more wind:

-jc j.b j.c

-sjc j.b j.a j.b j.c

-jc j.b j.c dj j.2dc j.c sj j.b j.c | relaunch variation uses 1 wind

Finally, choose the ender based on damage, okizeme, and current meter:

-dj j.b j.c j.236a | max damage + pole

-dj j.2c j.214b | knock them to the ground + summon pumpkin

-dj j.2dc j.c dash 6a 632146c | air combo into super uses 1 wind and 50% heat

-2d dj j.c 632146c | alternative air combo into super; useful when too low to dj j.2c

Mix up the various launchers in response to your opponent's actions, choose the filler that you are most comfortable performing, and pick an ender that keeps the opponent where you want him given your current wind/heat meter. If you're just starting out, the first option under each section is generally considered to be easiest. Subsequent options are either slightly harder to perform or less common.

Examples

(6a) 5b (jc j.b j.c) (dj j.b j.c j.236a)

Rachel's most basic combo. 6a, the cat uppercut, launches the opponent into the air. 5b is the gust of wind that can be jump-canceled. Jump and hit b then c. Double jump and hit b then c again. Cancel the last hit into tiny lobelia. This combo is the basic template of an air combo. Once you master this, try altering one of the 3 sections in parentheses with another option and see if you can do it. It should be easy to see why this is useful. The following combos will be more specific and explain why they are useful in different situations.

(3c9d) 5b (sjc j.b j.a j.b j.c) (dj j.2c j.214b)

Your opponent was stand blocking your attacks in anticipation of an overhead. This time, you decide to mix things up by starting your combo with a low attack (3c) which sweeps the opponent. Use wind (9d) to keep the opponent high enough to juggle with 5b and move yourself forward. You choose to juggle with super jump filler to make it easier to end the combo with j.2c and a pumpkin summon. The opponent stays pinned down to the ground and the pumpkin is in the perfect position to be winded and continue your assault.

(throw 7d dash) 5b (sjc j.b j.a j.b j.c) (dj j.2dc j.c sj j.b j.c dj j.b j.c j.236a)

You got lucky and managed to land a surprise throw near the start of the round. Your wind meter is full and you need a way to tack on some extra damage and keep your life lead. Solution: Try a relaunch air combo. During the throw, time the wind so that you wind the opponent up and back as soon as Rachel lets go. When doing dash 5b, make sure to let the stick go back to neutral to avoid having the fork come out. Also, add a slight delay between the j.2dc and j.c during the ender. It will give you more time to add the sj j.b.

(CH 2c 2d) 5b (sjc j.b j.a j.c) (dj j.2dc j.c dash 6a 632146c)

You're on the defensive and under a lot of pressure. You know that if you activate chair (2c) you can escape the pressure since the guy is reckless, but how do you really make him pay for it? Solution: Combo into super. The timing on wind is tricky here. You want to activate 2d as soon as the opponent is finished with his shocked animation i.e. wind down as soon as he starts moving upwards. If you time it right, you can juggle with 5b and continue. Notice that in this case, the filler has just one j.b instead of two. Why? The opponent would be too high to land a j.c at the peak of your jump if you added a second j.b. This slight alteration makes the combo much easier to perform at the expense of a bit of damage. Continuing on with the combo, you perform the j.2dc j.c with the j.c hitting right before you touch the ground. Then, dash and hit with the back part of 6a to make sure all hits of Baden Baden Lily land on the opponent.

This last example goes to show that there are a lot of little things that make the difference between a combo connecting for full damage/good positioning and messing up halfway through. But it does cover a lot of the pitfalls you'll encounter among Rachel air combos simultaneously. So practice, practice, practice.

Note: This combo is actually more efficient for comboing super after chair:

2c CH 1d 6a 632146c 214a {3c (1-2 hits) (frog hits) 236a 214b 3c (3 hits) [214a wind oki] ]} 4049 damage

Ground Combos

This is where things become a little more difficult. Rachel is a character with many character specific combos. In addition, her wind makes the amount of ways she can initiate and continue combos much greater than most other characters. Thus, it is essential that we narrow down those options to things that are most efficient while still covering many situations.

A major note about Rachel combos –

Longer is often better, if you are on the ground for the duration. This is because you recharge wind while on the ground. Wind is essential for Rachel’s mixup and combos and thus is a valuable commodity. An example of this is comboing a second frog after a late super. It doesn’t do much damage or give you much meter, but your wind is recharging for the whole duration. Thus, Rachel’s combos tend to favor minimal wind usage and maximum wind regeneration while still doing decent damage and setting up oki. This means that combos that spend a lot of wind very fast, like 5cdc pumpkin 6d dash 5b 5cdc, are very bad for your wind meter, despite Rachel being on the ground the whole time.

This is one reason why frog combos are important. The other reason (okizeme) will be covered in another section. Therefore,

Memorize the following:

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Midscreen froggable characters: Arakune, Bang, Hakumen, Litchi, Rachel, Taokaka, Carl*, Nu*

Corner only froggable characters: Ragna, Jin, Noel*, Tager*

*No 3c, use 2b/5b

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Seriously, memorize it.

Now then, here is how I am going to organize the next section. Combos will still follow the basic template of starters, filler, and enders. However, ground combos have another key element: 5cdc. Performing it is optional, but most of the time you will see this move in combos due to its ability to initiate frog combos. There will also be a section of enders dedicated to things that you can do after landing a super on an opponent.

(Starter) > 5b > (Filler) > (5cdc 214a) > (OTG) > (Ender/Super Ender)

At any point after the 5b, you can choose to skip the filler and go straight to 5cdc. Alternatively, you can do the filler, skip 5cdc, and go straight to an ender. However, you must do 5cdc to perform an OTG (short for "off the ground"). You might ask yourself, "Why skip the filler or 5cdc?" Well, Blazblue's combo and proration system often makes it inefficient to use both. Add too many hits and you won't be able to execute a proper ender due to untechable time. Additionally, you might spend too much wind adding measly damage that could be better spent on okizeme and resets. If it hasn't been drilled into your head enough already, ending a combo properly is very important in this game and especially for Rachel. There are situations where you should use both - most notably, combos that carry the opponent into the corner.

Starters: (starters end with 5b)

-5b | her fastest attack with decent range; many combos actually start with this because it is a good punisher

-j.3dc | fast overhead; the triangle jump; requires wind; use this a lot

-2b | staple low attack

-4b | slow, grounded overhead; useful if you want to save wind

-5b6b | extra damage before 5cdc; it might push the opponent too far away to land 5cdc; use only at point-blank range

-j.3db | an alternative to j.3dc when farther from the opponent; backdash safe

-j.3da j.b j.a | terrible proration, but a very fast overhead that might get you the knockdown you need

Filler: (optional; note that filler also ends with 5b; can continue to 5cdc or straight to ender)

-[6dc j.c] x 1-2 | the dress spin; hit j.c again right before landing; works on close standing opponents and great for carrying them to the corner; if you do 2 reps go straight to an ender;

-[j.3dc j.2c] x 1-3 | combos from 5b on crouching opponents; you can add j.2c without wind after j.3dc if the opponent was close and crouching; offers another chance for mixups; if you do 3 reps go straight to an ender

-j.3db j.2c | use this if your starter 5b hits a standing opponent at far range; this combo is ideal for closing the gap to get a closer 5b into 5cdc; often used after far 2b5b; offers another chance for mixups

-j.3dc | go straight to 5cdc if the opponent was crouching and far

-5cdc 214b 6d6c j.c | an alternative option for bringing opponents to the corner, wind-intensive

OTGs: (after 5cdc, summon frog (214a), dash, and perform an OTG; *denotes a frog will hit at this point if the opponent is froggable)

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Midscreen froggable characters: Arakune, Bang, Hakumen, Litchi, Rachel, Taokaka, Carl*, Nu*

Corner only froggable characters: Ragna, Jin, Noel*, Tager*

*No 3c, use 2b/5b

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-3c (2-3 hits)* 214b | easiest OTG; keeps opponent low enough to hit with another 3c after frog and summons pumpkin for oki

-2b 5b* 214b | easiest OTG for non-3c characters; the opponent is not low enough for another 3c; use j.2c instead

-3c (1 hit) 236a* 214b | slightly more difficult OTG; allows for 3c 22a 3c post frog for extra dmg; works on Tager in the corner

-5b (6a) 236a* | max damage OTG; ideal for enders that include BBL; no time for pumpkin summon; add the 6a only if you feel you have time

-2b 5b air combo | if the opponent was too far to frog or non-froggable, then you can salvage the combo by performing an air combo

-236b 22a air combo | if you don't summon the frog, then this combo also works midscreen; useful for non-froggable characters

Enders: (**denotes that a frog is already hitting the opponent)

-**3c 214a | ender for 3c frog characters; also a good ender for looped filler combos

-**j.2c j.214a | ender for 2b/5b frog characters

-**3c 22a 3c 214a | requires 236a OTG; pole adds extra damage

-**6c j.c dj j.2c j.214a/b| ideal for adding extra damage after a frog juggle + oki

-**6c8d j.c dj j.c j.236a | maximize damage at the cost of 1 wind

-**sj 8d j.2dc 214a 3c (2-3 hits)* 214b **3c 214a | utilize lvl 3 j.2c for big damage and combo into another frog; costs 2 winds; requires 3c or 2b/5b otg; most effective earlier in a combo

-6a 5b air combo | filler ender; good idea to use this if out of wind and your current combo is at a low number of hits; must be close to opponent

Super Enders (Baden-Baden Lily = BBL = 632146c)

Enders that incorporate BBL regen lots of wind and usually enable a second frog to be comboed. In general, you will want to use OTGs that place an extra pole on the field for added damage.

-**BBL 214a 3c (2-3 hits)* 214b **3c 214a | standard super combo ender

-**BBL 214a 3c (1 hit) 236a* 214b **3c 22a 3c 214a | extra damage; harder to time

-**BBL sj 8d j.2dc 214a 3c (2-3 hits)* 214b **3c 214a | high damage; costs 2 wind

That's a lot of information, especially since a few of the sections are mutually exclusive. Hopefully the following examples will clear them up. If you're feeling intimidated by the huge list of options, don't worry. You can do quite well using just a few of these options. Most of the examples will illustrate this. As you become more comfortable with performing Rachel combos, you can start to incorporate some of the more situational combos.

Examples

5b (5cdc 214a) (dash 3c* 214b) (**3c 214a)

A typical example of a frog combo on a froggable character. The frog activates as you are performing the first 3c. Summon the pumpkin for oki while it hits. Sweep the opponent again for the knockdown and summon another frog for pumpkin+frog oki. This is a very advantageous position and Rachel regens wind for the entire duration.

(2b) 5b (5cdc 214a) (dash 2b 5b* 214b) (**j.2c 214a)

A typical example of a frog combo on a non-3c froggable character like Carl or Nu. This time the combo starts from a low hit. Because these characters cannot be OTG'd with 3c, we use 2b 5b. As a result, the opponent is lifted up higher and cannot be swept with 3c. Instead, we opt for a j.2c to keep the opponent closer to the ground and summon a frog. Slightly less advantageous than the previous combo, you regen less wind and have less time to move after the ender.

(j.3dc) 5b (5cdc) (236b dash 22a) (dash j.b j.c djc j.b j.c j.236a)

A typical example of the kind of combo Rachel does against non-froggable characters midscreen. This time the combo starts from an overhead. Non-froggable characters get pushed too far to combo into frog from 5cdc, but this usually means they are in perfect range to get hit by 236b. Thanks to 22a's long hitstun, there is enough time to perform an air combo afterwards. Dashing and performing 22a is difficult. Sometimes, it may be better to simply activate 22a without dashing and summon a pumpkin and frog to begin your zoning game. Instead of activating 22a, you can also activate BBL for extra damage and forced knockdown.

5b (5cdc 214a) (dash 3c (1-hit) 236a*) (**dash BBL 214a 3c (2-3 hits)* 214b **3c 214a)

A typical example of a frog combo into super. It starts out just like your normal frog combo on a froggable character, but instead of using a 3c OTG we use 3c (1 hit) 236a. This creates an extra pole for additional damage from the super. Forego summoning a pumpkin to dash next to the opponent and get full damage from the super. Release the frog just before the last hit of the super (should be 10 hits total) and juggle with 3c. If you manage to do it correctly, you can end it just like your typical frog combo: with pumpkin and frog oki. This is a very important combo to learn. It does ~5k dmg at the cost of 1 wind and 50 heat. For the non-3c characters, OTG with 5b 236a. For the non-froggables, they must be in the corner. Check out Soniti's guide for some alternative super setups midscreen on non-froggables.

5b (6dc j.c 5b x 2) 3c 214a

This is the kind of combo you would use to bring a character from midscreen to the corner. The opponent must be standing to pull off this combo and it can be dangerous to use without hit confirming. Thus, it is most commonly used as a punish combo after a 6b CH. 6b CH can be used to punish things like Ragna and Jin DPs and Tager's sledge - all of which are characters that can only be frog comboed in the corner. If you manage to get the opponent into the corner with only 1 rep of 6dc j.c 5b, then you can go straight to 5cdc 214a - a frog combo.

5b (j.3db j.2c 5b) (5cdc 214a) (dash 3c (1-hit) 236a* 214b) (**3c 22a 3c 214a)

Ever hit an opponent with 5b that was too far to land 5cdc? This is the combo for you. The j.3db j.2c filler is a great way to get closer to far standing opponents to land frog combos. Is this a common situation? Absolutely. 5b is Rachel's best punisher with decent range, but it's no good if you can't add anything after it. Happens a lot when trying to punish things like Litchi's dp. The ender to this combo adds extra damage. Timing 3c 22a 3c is tricky. You have to do 22a fast enough so that it combos into 3c, but slow enough so that they don't rise to high for the second 3c. Practice it.

Learn the first four combos in this section and you will already be ahead of the pack. Frog combos and frog combos into super are a staple of Rachel's game due to the amount of wind she regens and the oki setups they provide. In situations where she can add a super, the damage is pretty high. I may add other situational examples as well, but the purpose of this guide is to provide a template for you to mix and match your own combos. Have fun with it and experiment.

Troubleshooting FAQ

Note: This section will grow as more people submit good questions that address common issues or if people provide more complete answers.

1) What control scheme is best for using Rachel? Do I really need a stick?

Simple rule of thumb: Do whatever feels most natural to you. I use type B personally. Having the wind button on my thumb feels more natural as opposed to having it on my ring finger. You do not need a stick to succeed. However, if you are playing on pad, I highly recommend mapping the wind button to one of the R triggers.

2) Why does my 3c miss when I try to do frog combos?

Make sure you were close to the opponent when hitting with the 5b 5cdc. Also, make sure you are dashing immediately after summoning the frog and dash far enough to land the 3c. Finally, make sure you are performing the combo on "froggable" characters. Reminder:

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Midscreen froggable characters: Arakune, Bang, Hakumen, Litchi, Rachel, Taokaka, Carl*, Nu*

Corner only froggable characters: Ragna, Jin, Noel*, Tager*

*No 3c, use 2b/5b

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Memorize this! If it helps, you can't frog the popular characters online midscreen.

3) Whenever I try to OTG with 3c 236a, I always get 22a instead. What am I doing wrong?

This is a very common problem among Rachel players. It has something to do with allowing the stick to go back to neutral between the 3c and the 236a. It's probably registering as 3c25236a, and since you're doing it so quickly, the 22a gets read first. A good solution is to slow down your inputs and not let the stick go back to neutral. Try inputting 3c236a or 3c21236a

4) I can't land the dj j.2c during air combos. Any tips?

Try to hit the opponent with the lower part of j.c near the peak of your jump. In order to do so, it helps to do sj j.b j.a j.c as filler especially when the opponent is being juggled high off the ground. Additionally, make sure you are jumping forward during the double jump and delay the j.2c enough for it to actually hit the opponent. If you're trying to do this very late in a combo with many hits, it may be impossible due to the shorter untechable time.

5) How come my Baden Baden Lily is only doing 1 hit or 4 hits? Isn't it supposed to do 6?

That has to do with the distance between you and your opponent. There is a fine line between getting full damage (6 hits) off super and less damage (1 or 4 hits). Oftentimes, it's character specific. Here's an example to illustrate: On Tager, Rachel can do 6a BBL for full damage midscreen, but on most other characters she will only get 1 hit. However, she almost always gets full damage if she does 6a BBL in the corner no matter who the opponent is. That bit of distance the opponent travels between you doing 6a and activating BBL matters. To solve this problem after a frog juggle, hit with the back part of 6a or go directly into super. To solve this problem after midscreen 6a, add 4d during the motion for the super (63214d6c). It's difficult, but very useful.

6) What's the timing for juggling the frog after BBL?

It varies with height. The method I use is the following: Release the frog right before the last hit of BBL (6 hits total for self, 4 for pole) if the opponent is at eye level. If the opponent is lower, release it earlier. If the opponent is higher, release it later.

[kro_]

III. Approaching the opponent

Rachel is one of the most versatile characters in the game thanks to wind and pumpkin. It allows a character who seemingly specializes in zoning become capable of mounting a safe and effective rushdown game. It also allows the player to choose the playstyle that emphasizes his strengths or exploits his opponent's weaknesses. Rachel thrives on both offensive and defensive momentum. Once she loses it, it becomes difficult to get it back. Thankfully, she is very good at maintaining it due to her strong okizeme.

This part of the guide will be divided into three sections: Zoning, Rushdown, and Defense. I'd like to stress that while these three topics can be considered separate parts of Rachel's game, there can and should be a lot of overlap. Smooth transitions from one area to another keep your game solid and fresh - confusing your opponent and making you less predictable.

Zoning

Many people believe that Rachel's zoning is not that strong. If you compare it to someone with a very fast and direct zoning style like Nu, it's pretty easy to come up with that conclusion. Rachel does not get huge amounts of damage from playing keepaway and it is not as effective at keeping people out. It's also worthless against Nu.

However, I would argue that Rachel's zoning style is much better at landing hits against an opponent. Her emphasis is on trapping and baiting opponents to make mistakes rather than keeping people out with continuous pressure. Additionally, the more time the opponent hesitates, the more traps Rachel makes while her wind meter fills up, and the more pressure they start to feel. I'll attempt to explain what I mean by going over her moves and some general strategy.

6a:

It has many names. Neko-upper. Catryuken. Bullshit. Possibly the best anti-air in the game. This is also Rachel's best normal. It covers a huge amount of space vertically, a decent amount horizontally, and even some space behind it. It has an upper-body guardpoint and can even eat projectiles like Arakune's cloud or all 3 of Bang's D nails. It comes out decently fast and has very little recovery for how good it is. One of the few attacks that is safe for Rachel to do without pumpkin support.

It's use in zoning should be obvious. This is what you hit people with when someone tries to approach you from the air - and sometimes even on the ground. Use it on reaction to jump-ins and in anticipation of air dashes. It's actually fast enough to be used twice if the opponent tries to bait it with a double jump. On counterhit (which you should be getting a lot), the opponent can be juggled with another 6a into an air combo. This gives you a lot of time to hit confirm the attack into a proper combo. In this respect, it's actually better than having a real DP.

Try using your projectiles to force your opponent to approach you from the air and into that 6a CH. It's like the basic Ryu fireball trap but better. This should be her main source of damage from zoning. Zoning is not just projectiles. Anti-airs and long-range pokes are a big part of it too.

6b:

The fork. Both the startup and recovery of this move is poor. However, it is Rachel's longest normal and stuns the opponent for a very long time on counterhit for no proration. This often makes the risk worth the reward. Throwing it out a few times can make the opponent very afraid of trying to dash in under your projectiles, which is just as valuable as actually landing the CH combo. Like all other moves, it can be made safe with pumpkin support.

236a/b/c: (Tiny Lobelia)

Artillery fire. The arc and long active frames of these projectiles make them very effective at controlling space. The seeds themselves have good damage, guardcrush ability, and hitstun for single hit projectiles. On counterhit, they stun nearly as long as 6a. However, the startup and recovery time for these attacks are huge. Thus, you pretty much have to shoot them in anticipation of where you think the opponent is going to be instead of on reaction. This can seemingly leave you very vulnerable to attacks, but with pumpkin support you can cover the gaps and even use it to follow up those counterhits with a quick mini air combo. Especially useful when used with wind to change the trajectory and keep the opponent from advancing. Using wind while firing a projectile prevents you from moving. These also create lightning rods.

236a comes out very quickly in front of you and falls to the ground a short distance away. It can often be used to trade or beat out pokes and rushing opponents. Commonly used with 6d or 9d wind to cover more ground. It loses to aerial approaches or when whiffing a grounded opponent. Also a central part of frog combos, corner lockdown, and the 3 poles setup.

236b arcs upward and falls ~1/3 of the screen away from you. You could also say that this move beats IADs for the first half of the attack and creates a wall for the second half. Commonly used with 6d wind to push the opponent back and make it land full-screen distance away or 3d wind to keep the opponent low and make it land ~2/3 of the screen away. Pumpkin + 6d236b + 22a can form a 3-hit combo that is great for pushing back and pressuring full-screen opponents.

236c arcs upward and falls ~2/3 of the screen away from you. You could also say that this move beats super jumps and double jumps for the first half of the attack and creates a wall for the second half. Most commonly used with 3d wind to make it land full-screen distance away. This covers a lot of space and differs from 6d 236b in that the pumpkin is winded in a different direction.

j.236a comes out just as fast as 236a but has the arc of 236c. Thus, TK j.236a (2367a) is a very useful move and I commonly use it with 3d wind for the same reasons. The disadvantages to aerial seeds in general are no wind regen and increased recovery time. You don't recover until you land.

j.236b fires at ~30 degrees below the horizontal. Comes out slow compared to j.236a. It fires at a useful angle but the increased recovery time gives the opponent a good chance to close the distance without the pumpkin.

j.236c fires at ~60 degrees below the horizontal. Not very useful, at that range you're already vulnerable and may as well attack with normals or block. Don't do this move without a pumpkin.

22a: (Sword Iris)

Activates lightning rods. The hitbox of the lightning is actually fatter than you think. Lightning comes out fairly quickly, but there is a noticeable lag between your input and the actual activation. Thus, you still need to use some anticipation to hit people with this. Sword iris is great for executing frame traps whenever a seed hits an opponent shortly before touching the ground. That is, if they try to move right after blocking the seed they will get hit, but they are still given enough time to let go of block. It is interesting to note that sword iris goes all the way to the top of the screen. You can hit Noel with it when she does her air super and BBL will eat her giant missile. Having multiple well-spaced lightning rods out on the screen at the same time is useful for covering lots of space and conditioning opponents to move predictably.

214b: (Pumpkin)

Too good. The pumpkin moves in any direction and can be activated anytime you're allowed to use wind - meaning that you can use it during the recovery of your own attacks. Thus, Rachel can make almost anything safe at will provided that the pumpkin is in the right position and she has the wind meter to do it. Use it to cover gaps in zoning, add extra hitstun into a combo, and precede your rushdown with a projectile to name a few. It is important to note that you can wind the pumpkin before you finish the summon animation, making it one of her fastest attacks. Also, keep in mind that the pumpkin rises up and away from you slowly after summoning. The pumpkin does not disappear when touching another projectile but it will absorb 1 hit of it. Using wind again refreshes the active frames. One pumpkin can be used up to 3 times and disappears if Rachel gets hit or blocks an attack.

214a: (Frog a.k.a. George XIII)

Everyone loves this guy. He takes a bit of time to summon, but once he's out things become very dangerous for the opponent. He will track down the opponent and slowly hop towards him. Once in range, he will release an electric field that does 8 hits. Defensively, he will bail you out if the opponent manages to force you to block something. Offensively, he will keep the opponent in hitstun or blockstun long enough for you to continue a combo, start a free mixup, or re-establish your zoning. He is unaffected by wind and disappears if he gets killed, Rachel gets hit, or enough time has passed.

Whenever you summon George in the air, Rachel throws him forward further than a ground summon with a significant increase in recovery time. An important trick is to TK the frog (2147a) and wind yourself downwards with 1d/2d/3d. This dramatically reduces the recovery time of summoning the frog. TK frog is especially powerful when your 1d/2d/3d winds a pumpkin in the opponent's face simultaneously.

Zoning Strategies

This section will be filled with some general tips. It'll be fairly abstract since there are way too many variables in positioning and matchups, but hopefully you can pull something useful out of this.

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-Create Space

Whenever you try to zone using Rachel, the first thing you need to do is create space to summon a pumpkin. You can do this by backdashing, jumping backwards, or airdashing backwards. But a smart opponent won't let you do that by pursuing you. Most characters can move forwards faster than you can move backwards. In order to create space, you need to make yourself sufficiently threatening to make them hesitate. Then, fortify your position faster than they can react. The best way to do that is to prove to the opponent that you can 6a or 6b their approaches. Also, remember to wind that pumpkin before the summon animation finishes if necessary. If you can't do that, then they have no reason to hesitate from attacking you. After safely summoning a pumpkin, you're pretty much free to start zoning however you want.

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-Create a pumpkin wall

One thing I almost always do is create a pumpkin wall. This means that I summon an aerial pumpkin with the intention to wind it only if he tries to move past the pumpkin. I use this mainly to test the opponent and conserve wind. How does he react when I put down a frog? Shoot a seed? If the answer was dash or airdash to either, I wind the pumpkin down with 2d to stop him in his tracks or Z the pumpkin with 1d6d for a combo/mixup. If he does nothing or waits, then more wind and more traps for me. Winding the pumpkin with 2d or 1d also keeps the pumpkin between me and the opponent, so that I don't have to summon it again. Not having to re-summon a pumpkin is a concept that becomes especially important when zoning with lobelia seeds.

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-Always have a last line of defense

This can be either the pumpkin or the frog. Pumpkin works because you can always wind it towards the opponent before the opponent hits you - buying enough time to create more space or trade hits into a pumpkin counterhit combo. Frog works because you are allowed to block and it will eventually bail you out if you are near it. This is probably the most frustrating part of Rachel's zoning (for the opponent).

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-Know your distances

Pretty obvious advice. Know how high your lobelias fly and where they will land without wind. Then, get used to where they will land with wind when wind is applied at the same time as firing. Generally, you should focus on 2d, 3d, and 6d winds. Why? Because those directions pressure the opponent with the pumpkin simultaneously - allowing the pumpkin and seed to attack in tandem. After that, experiment a bit with applying wind earlier, later, and using other directions. A fun trick is to wind a pumpkin backwards on the opponent while over-shooting with 236c.

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-Know your opponent's distances

This one comes with matchup experience. Can my opponent's jump-in beat my 6a? Are they fast enough and small enough to go under a lobelia? Do they have any projectile-invulnerable moves? Can they punish me from full-screen? The answer to these questions is different for every character. Some things to watch out for include Jin and Litchi's j.b, Jin's icecar and projectile super, Ragna's 5b and hell's fang, Noel's 3c and 5d, Tager's sledge, Arakune's j.d, and Nu's swords (duh).

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-Stay active but not too active

My general philosophy with Rachel zoning is to always be doing something while my opponent is dealing with something else. This can be as simple as backdashing to give yourself extra space or summoning a frog while keeping the opponent in blockstun with pumpkin. But if I'm not doing anything, then I'm usually waiting to activate sword iris or anti-air with 6a in a silent challenge to the opponent. You know how you stand around or whiff a jab occasionally after shooting fireballs to DP an opponent's jump in SF? Well the same thing applies here. It can be tempting to constantly refresh pumpkins and frogs to get that perfect defense going (chess anyone?), but you always have to be wary of approaches to get a proper punish instead of a pumpkin trade. Remember, in a battle of turtles, Rachel almost always has the advantage because she can regen wind. Hakumen has a similar advantage, but I find that wind >>> orbs.

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-Aim in front of the opponent

Miss on purpose? Not necessarily. This is actually my basic fireball trap. Because lobelias have such a long startup time, many opponents will be trying to dash or IAD to gain some ground. Aiming to control the space in front of the opponent means that anyone who dashes in and ends up blocking a lobelia will be forced into a frame trap with sword iris. On the otherhand, anyone who tries to double jump over it or jump and delay air dash will eat a 6a. The opponent who stays grounded just out of range will have the best chance to get in, but that's if George isn't on the field. When George is on the field, those lobelias will also be shielding him as he approaches the opponent. Finally, anyone fast enough to run under seeds and pass George before he activates should run into your last line of defense: the pumpkin. This will keep the opponent in block stun long enough for George to connect and reset the situation. Good stuff? Good stuff.

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-Steer the opponent towards the frog or the corner

Basically, whenever a frog is on the screen people will either try to kill it or jump over it. If they keep trying to kill it, attack them with a winded seed/pumpkin while they kill it to make them think twice. If they try to jump over it, try to force them into block stun when they are in the air over the frog. They will be forced to block it. Every blocked frog gives you a chance to regen wind, reset the situation, or go for the mixup if they're close enough. With every hop, the amount of space the opponent can move becomes shorter and shorter. Slowly advance your lobelias forward with the frog either by switching from 236b to 236c, dashing forward slightly, or applying the appropriate wind. The opponent's main option is to IAD over the frog and rush you, but well-timed sword iris can catch them during this. 6d or 3d wind will also keep them stationary in the air if they tried to IAD. If they manage to IAD over the frog safely, they will be surrounded between you and the frog. With pumpkin, it should be very easy for Rachel to push them back into that frog and reset or land the 6a CH. Can you begin to see the pattern here?

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-Use seeds to chase air techs

A lot of people will try to forward air tech to get in on you after getting hit by a seed. Fire seeds pre-emptively to the spot where they would be if they try to forward air tech. If they don't manage to IB it, then it's a free 6a attempt. If they do manage to IB it, then maybe your 6a will beat their attempt to get in anyway. If they neutral or backwards air tech, then keep on zoning.

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-Know when to divide your attention

Keeping track of frog, pumpkin, and lightning rod positions in addition to wind meter, super meter, barrier meter, lifebars, guard libra, and remaining time can be one hell of a chore - especially if you want to stay one step ahead of your opponent. Not everyone has the same capability to manage their attention among multiple things, but it is possible to create moments to get your bearings. Take a look at the various meters whenever you are doing something automatic that has no risk i.e. immediate sword iris, summoning a frog while winding a pumpkin, or when the opponent is blocking a frog. The opponent's attention is divided too. Take advantage of not being the one under pressure by getting some info the opponent may miss.

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-Analyze and condition your opponent to make him easier to read

Decent opponents with patience can be tough to crack. If your zoning habits become too predictable and automatic, it becomes very easy for them to find chances to get in. After all, all they have to do is study you for gaps and hold back. One solution is to keep on doing those predictable things and leave that gap open for awhile, then bust out the 6a AA when you think they're gonna go for it. If they don't, then you just proved to them that you know what they're thinking. As a result, they may begin to second-guess themselves more often. Another is to leave your traps on the field (lightning rods work well) and just sit there - turtling and waiting for them to let go of block while your wind meter rises. Call it mindgames, yomi, or turtling bullshit. This is the fun and abstract part of fighting games. Analyzing the habits of your opponent can be very useful in determining how they will act in future rounds.

From the way I've been describing things, it might seem like Rachel's zoning is overpowered. Against reckless players and overly defensive players, it eats them alive. But against good players, you are rarely given enough space to form an ideal setup and they rarely fall for the same trick twice. It's also very easy to get punished for one mistake through mismanagement of wind meter, poor pumpkin positioning, or slow reaction time. The truth of the matter is that most of her zoning options can be beaten with careful aggression. Don't fall for a sword iris frametrap and Rachel will already be down to her last defense. Make her use that last defense often enough and she will run out of wind very quickly. These players will eventually force you into situations where you will be on equal footing again. In situations like these, it may be best to adopt a different approach entirely before getting put on the defensive.

Rushdown, Mixups, and Blockstrings

Getting Inside

Breaking through an opponent's defenses isn't always easy. Normally, you have to deal with things like projectiles, counterpokes, and backdashes just to get inside. Once you manage to get inside, you have to mix things up well enough to land a hit before you get pushed back out.

Rachel has two tools that make both of these obstacles much easier to overcome compared to most characters: pumpkin and wind.

The key defining feature of the pumpkin in rushdown is that it is a projectile that moves with you. By winding a pumpkin forward and dashing forward behind it, you can easily get in on the opponent because it stuffs counterpokes, negates 1 hit of a projectile, or catches opponents during their backdash. In a sense, it's very similar to how Guile would throw a jab sonic boom and walk behind it. The difference is that the pumpkin is much faster and doesn't disappear after one use.

Of course, you have to be in a position where you can follow up the pumpkin without gaps. If the pumpkin is directly in front of the opponent and you are on the other side of the screen, there's really no point in trying to rush. It'd be better to zone. However, if your opponent is say, landing from an air tech then that would be a great time to summon and rush. Basically, you want to summon the pumpkin and attack when you know that the opponent will be forced to block it and you are close enough to follow up with an attack behind it.

If an opponent jumps, he must eventually come back down. Shoot your laser at him before he touches the ground.

Words of wisdom from mvc2. This applies to Rachel with pumpkin as well.

Getting past the opponent's guard

Most mixups in BB can be blocked on reaction. Maybe not everyone can do it, but it's well within the realm of possibility for most people to do. That's why there is a great emphasis on creating situations where the opponent will be forced to guess and trying to read your opponent.

It is vital that you understand common blocking habits and figure out ways to get around them. Most players defend by blocking low by default if the opponent is on the ground and blocking high if the opponent is in the air. Then, simply react if they see an overhead or throw attempt. Knowing this, you can do things that are designed to trip them up.

High-low mixups

One of the most basic mixups is the high-low mixup. By going from a high attack to a low attack, you are forcing the opponent to switch their defenses quickly from high to low. Because of how common this is, most people are able to block this. However, if you start doing things like high-high or empty jump-low, you become much more unpredictable and difficult to block. Do it enough and you can train the opponent to fall for that basic high-low mixup because they second-guess themselves.

Rachel excels at this. Wind, other than being a tool that pushes the pumpkin forward, can be used to make Rachel do short hops (3d). As a result, the time she spends in the air is reduced and her ability to switch from high to low is generally much faster than other characters. Combine this with a cancellable attack that has a large hitbox and angles her downward (j.2c) and you get someone who can easily do high-low mixups or any other combination of highs and lows in succession.

There are 2 points where Rachel usually tries to mix up the opponent: after 5b and after j.3dc. When initially trying to mixup the opponent at close range, Rachel's main high attack is j.3dc and her main low attack is 2b. After either of these attacks, Rachel usually does 5b because this attack is jump-cancellable and can be used to hit confirm the previous attack into 5cdc. If the 5b gets blocked, Rachel will generally either go for another j.3dc (high) or 3c9d (low). After a j.3dc Rachel also has the option to go into another j.2c (high) or land and do 2b (low). She can continue this until she runs out of wind.

Also, check out this thread for some specifics: Rachel's Block Strings

Crossups

Thanks to the large hitbox of j.2c, Rachel can perform ambiguous crossups when she is directly above the opponent. Being above the opponent is generally a good place to be. At any point you can j.2c for the overhead, or airdash forward/backward j.2c for the crossup. Also most characters do not have a good anti-air that hits directly above them. Use 1d/3d to combo it into 5b.

Additionally, she can do things like air dash over the opponent right before the frog goes off. However, this kind of thing is generally only viable with specific setups.

Throws

Don't laugh. Throws are still somewhat effective in BB when sufficient pressure is created, and the potential damage is high. Rachel has a decent throw game because she can 'tick' with the pumpkin or a quick j.3da/j.3db to land a green throw.

Air throws are also very good at catching people who like to 'hold up-back', mash during air techs, or barrier when they think you're going to 6a.

The only caveat is that Rachel loses her pumpkin and frog if the opponent techs your throw. Losing those guys is generally not worth the risk with how easy it is to tech throws, but sometimes that expectation from the opponent will cause him to miss the tech.

(Part III continued in next post)

[kro_]

Maintaining Pressure

Chances are the opponent isn't gonna fall for your first mixup every time. More commonly, they will block it and be ready to expect more. It's possible to block these mixups with good reaction time, and it is probably their intention to do so and run you out of wind.

Since you did not land any hits, they were probably using barrier or instant blocking. Both of these tools changes what you can do. Barrier pushes you back further and instant block gives them enough time to stick out a DP or other quick invulnerable move. However, IB isn't always helpful for the opponent against Rachel because the gap is often too small to get anything out in time. Plus, she's always doing something jump-cancellable that can be used to bait a DP for big damage. Barrier is the more common problem.

Off the top of my head, I know that barrier-blocking j.3dc 5b prevents you from being close enough to do another j.3dc and pushes you too far away to land the first hit of a winded 3c. This gives the opponent enough space to land a proper anti-air if they expect you to continue with jump-cancel IAD or backdash to get away.

So what can Rachel do? Well, she can go for j.3db. That hits high, isn't as slow as IAD, and doesn't leave you vulnerable on whiff. Another option is to use 5a instead of 5b after the j.3dc. 5a has less pushback on block and gives you the option to go into 2b as well. A final option is to summon the pumpkin mid blockstring. A pumpkin winded immediately is very hard to react to. By using 3d or 6d winded pumpkins, you can cover those gaps created by the opponent using barrier and continue your assault. With a pumpkin out, you can also do riskier attacks and freestyle more. For example, TK frog midscreen and wind the pumpkin downward to land faster and keep them in blockstun. Or fire A lobelia and follow with 3d pumpkin into a short hop mixup.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that no offense has no holes, but if you manage to get the pumpkin and frog involved in your rushdown, then you can keep those holes smaller and pressure well regardless of how well the opponent defends.

Guardcrushing

Sometimes, it may not even be necessary to land a mixup. Rachel has a few attacks that are very useful for guardcrushing the opponent. Namely, 5c and 236a. These take off huge chunks of guard libra. When combined with pumpkin, frog, and wind to keep people in perpetual block stun, it becomes very easy for Rachel to break the opponent's guard especially in the corner. To avoid getting guardcrushed, opponents will either have to spend barrier or super meter for a counter assault. This makes baiting bursts and keeping up future pressure in a match much easier.

A particular setup merits special mention. In the corner, get an opponent to block a frog and summon a pumpkin in front of them. Then summon frog, wind pumpkin down, and fire A lobelia. You can repeat this almost forever since wind regenerates nearly as fast as you use it. At any point you can try for high/low mixups or switch it up a bit with normals. And whenever you land a hit, you should have 3 poles ready to activate BBL and deal big damage. BBL itself also deals large amounts of guard libra damage. Just watch for counter assaults and bursts.

Baiting Bursts

Burst baiting is one of those unique things to GG and BB. It requires prediction to bait a gold burst and good reaction time to bait a green/blue burst. People bait bursts by either jump canceling their previous attack or RCing it to block the burst. With Rachel, you can generally bait bursts after a 5b or at any point during the first jump of an air combo. Thus, most intelligent players will wait for you to double jump or start 5cdc to burst. It is at this point when you should be ready to RC. Keep in mind that most players will burst at low health, and try and take a glance at their barrier meter to see what kind of burst they can do. If it's less than full, keep the possibility of a burst at hand. If it's full, then either try to guess or take advantage of their decision to not use barrier and take it.

Also, Rachel has trouble punishing grounded bursts. Her attacks aren't fast enough to punish them on normal block and they are usually too far to get a decent 1 wind combo. The most reliable way I've found to punish grounded bursts is to IB and 5b j.3db j.2c into whatever. Aerial bursts are much easier to punish, just block and 5b into an air combo.

Defense and Dealing with Pressure

Someone that's good at blocking is a sign of an experienced player. It means that they know what other characters are capable of and have good enough reaction speed to deal with it. Knowing which attacks to IB to land a counterpoke or backdash and which attacks to barrier to disrupt the opponent's offense also come with experience. It's something that is very hard to teach and is something that most American players including myself lack. So you'll have to make do with more general advice.

Incoming cliche: A good offense is the best defense. What I mean to say is that if you were actively trying to zone and play footsies with the opponent, then you would know where the opponent could potentially get in and block accordingly.

Let's say I'm fighting Ragna and I do a 6a in anticipation of his jump-in. I know that if it doesn't work, he's probably gonna try to dash in and 5b. So he does and forces me to block and lose the pumpkin. Now what? He's probably going to wait and expects me to back dash or airdash back and catch me with those long-range normals. Even though I'm in close proximity without any summons to defend me, it is probably better to just stand my ground and wait for his reaction. If he jumps there is a good chance he'll IAD and I can hit him with CH 6a. If he starts running, then none of my attacks can beat out his 5b so it's best to block. Actively poking with quick attacks in between the opponent's block string might work for others, but it does not work for Rachel.

Basically, what I'm trying to emphasize is to look for one out and simply block everything else patiently. At the same time, you are getting to learn your opponent's habits. If you start to notice a pattern, then you can probably predict what will happen next and adjust accordingly. If I just know that Ragna is going to dash 5b, then 236a will beat him out. 236a loses to IAD and to waiting, but once you know what's coming just act upon it. Trust your instincts, because at a higher level nobody just gives anything away and reading the opponent matters. Other things to look out for are specific opportunities to backdash or specific attacks that you can IB and punish.

And as much as I emphasized looking for ways to get around opponent's who crouch block by default, it really is useful in practice. Especially against characters who aren't 'blessed' with Rachel's offensive capabilities.

IV. Pressing the Advantage

What you do when the opponent is knocked down is equally as important as the approach itself. Why? Knockdowns give you the time necessary to create setups and force opponents into disadvantageous situations. In SF games, this is usually a crossup, safe jump, or fireball trap. In BB and GG, the same principles hold but the stuff you can do is much harder to defend against. Some characters can even force opponents into situations where it is humanly impossible to react and they are forced to guess which way to block. This allows for resets - mixups done on a recovering opponent that are difficult to defend against for the purpose of resetting the combo counter and damage scaling. Most resets have slight variations that make the proper way to defend very ambiguous. Bonus points if the reset ends in a knockdown that allows you to perform it again and again. While nothing Rachel has (or any character in BB) is impossible to react to, there's no harm in making things difficult. Plus, she also has some tricks that some characters simply can't escape.

Okizeme setups

In the combo tutorial, it is generally advised to end combos with 3c or j.2c to create knockdowns. In addition to ending combos with knockdown, you also want to have the pumpkin, frog, or both ready to act when the opponent tries to recover. I'll try to cover options from at least one 3c setup and one j.2c setup in this guide. For others, it would probably be best to refer to H.H.'s video. I might try to analyze it in detail in another post if I'm not too lazy.

Recall the basic Rachel BnB frog combo:

5b (5cdc 214a) (dash 3c* 214b) (**3c 214a)

This places you in a position where the pumpkin is floating overhead and the frog is ready to activate on the downed opponent. Your opponent has 4 options: roll forward, roll backward, neutral tech, and quick getup. The most common by far is neutral tech, since that allows the opponent to get up safely. However, it is also the easiest option to reset.

It should also be noted that after a j.2c, the opponent can do something similar to neutral tech called emergency rise, which is basically a neutral tech without touching the ground. If the opponent doesn't do emergency rise, then they'll be grounded and have the same 4 options. I'll cover neutral tech first. The following setups are things I personally use a lot.

From 3c, opponent neutral techs (* = frog activates):

• (3d) j.2c 2b (236a/214b) * | A high-low mixup that will combo into the frog. Winding the pumpkin first makes it DP safe and your overhead faster, but is not necessary. If you hit confirm the attack, you can do 236a instead of 214b for added damage. If the opponent blocks, it is better to summon pumpkin since you have another opportunity to mixup.

• (3d) 2b 5b (236a/214b) * | Same as above, starting with a low. 5b is filler to keep him busy until the frog hits.

• (3d) dash crossup j.2c 236a * | Same as above, starting with a crossup. The 236a stops your momentum and adds extra damage.

• (2d) jump forward j.b 2b (236a/214b) * | Use 2d if the pumpkin is directly overhead and 3d won't work.

• (2d) jump forward j.c whiff 2b (236a/214b) * | Tricky low attack. j.c whiff prevents escape if they jump during the gap.

• (2d) jump forward j.c whiff, throw * | Tricky throw setup. j.c whiff prevents escape if they jump during the gap.

• 236a 5c 236a (3d) into mixup | A guardcrush string into mixup.

• 236a 5c (214a (2d) 236a 214b) x n | A corner guardcrush loop.

You can see that basically every setup gives you 2 chances to mixup the opponent: once before the frog hits, and once after the frog hits if the opponent blocked. Powerful stuff.

Note: Will cover more options later, more testing required, who knows when~

Managing your wind meter

• Don't use all of your wind at the start of a match.
• Know when to backoff with your rushdown. If you have to spend too much wind to get in, let them come to you first and then start. Don't rush with just 1 wind.
• Stay on the ground whenever possible.
• Do things that keep them occupied longer (i.e. spam 5a in their face, make them hesitate with lightning rods, let the frog hit for its full duration before starting another mixup, etc.)
• When low on wind, turtle and spam 6a like your life depended on it. It actually does.

Miscellaneous

Purple air throws:

Sometimes, you are forced to do an air combo that does not end with j.2c. This happens when the opponent is high up in the air or you catch them with some winded aerials. As a result, the opponent is allowed to air tech and escape the corner. If you don't want them to escape the corner, try a purple throw. If they don't break it, it's free damage. When they break it, both you and your opponent lose your aerial momentum and will be forced to drop down. Good thing you can summon a pumpkin in the air and wind it at them while they can't. Watch out for Nu's swords though.

Unburstable 3 poles setup:

Get your opponent in the corner guardcrush loop. Once you have 3 poles, try a throw. If it lands, use 9d to keep them in the air long enough to go straight into BBL. Your opponent cannot burst. Your opponent is already dead.

V. Conclusion

I have taught you everything I know. If your thirst for knowledge is unsatisfied, then try to contribute and I'll add what I can. Now it is time for me to rest.

[Emerald]

Excellent start. The cute fan art is a nice touch

[ArkiveZero]

very nice, this guide looks like it will be really solid.

[DC]

Looking good, make sure you go into detail about how much we get destroyed by pressure... and then how instant blocking is the greatest thing in the universe.

[Xtra_Zero]

I like it.

[comoesa]

This is really good man.

[Yesterday]

Good shit man. \Posting to subscribe/

[sphyra]

Picked up the game only very recently and was looking into playing Rachel, this is exactly what I needed. Looking forward to seeing this thing grow, keep up the good work~

[ant12292]

Great guide so far, I am looking froward to the updates. I just wanted to mention one little thing though, 3C frog combos work on Tager in the corner.

[kro_]

Great guide so far, I am looking froward to the updates. I just wanted to mention one little thing though, 3C frog combos work on Tager in the corner.

I know 3c 236a works, I'm pretty sure plain old 3c doesn't so I didn't include it in the list. Correct me if I'm wrong though. I haven't touched training mode in a month.

Also, thanks all for the support. If you have any suggestions or feel that something needs clarification in what I've written so far, feel free to PM me.

[Yesterday]

You know when the zoning section is coming up? No rush man just wondering.

[ghaleon109]

I know 3c 236a works, I'm pretty sure plain old 3c doesn't so I didn't include it in the list. Correct me if I'm wrong though. I haven't touched training mode in a month.

Also, thanks all for the support. If you have any suggestions or feel that something needs clarification in what I've written so far, feel free to PM me.

It only works on Tager in the corner if you hold 3c... The first hits, the next couple miss, and the rest finally connect. Gives you very little time to go into 6A, Super but it works.

Better to just learn 3c 236a as Kro was saying

[killionaire]

I'll be looking forward to this once it is finished. Maybe this way I'll get enough practice in for myself to be considered worthy of entering the world of online gaming....in Blazblue.

[rivetKEH]

Wow.. this is greatly detailed and friendly.. good job! o_o

[Tari]

Good Lord, kro, this is an insane endeavour. Good job~! I'll be taking full advantage of it as you put it together~. >:]

[Istillduno]

This is great, can't wait to see the full thing, thanks for writing this guide.

[kro_]

I'll probably finish another good chunk of it this weekend.

[Yesterday]

Sweet thanks for the info.

[Konton]

Good shit man.

[MisterBadguy]

Kro comes through for the Rachel forums again. Good shit bro.

[Spirit Juice]

Skimming through the responses (look great so far), but too tired to review the guide at the moment. I'll sticky this tomorrow after reading through it.

[aruren]

Wow. This is some pretty awesome stuff. Just when I thought I was going to research all the possible uses of silpheed by myself. Kudos!