The "Picking a Main" thread

[BlackYakuzu94]

I don't watch much Byakuya, but he seems like a heavy setplay character soooo; Kokonoe, Litchi, etc etc. 

Note: I'm not an expert on setplay.

[Overdrive55]

I recently got Guilty Gear Xrd myself, and I want to know what characters I should start trying to learn. Here would be some important things you need to know:

• I gravitate towards weaker characters and I have no idea why, so even if it's the weakest character I don't care.
• I SUCK at charge moves and 720s, but I can basically do any other command
• I like characters that have solid zoning, close range characters that have things like counter specials aren't my thing.
• I also like being able to rush in at times if possible, but this is not a necessity. 
• I don't like being slow, but I don't want to use THAT character that flies all over the screen.

I came from BBCPEX and I main Lambda-11 there, but I don't like her lack of defense options.

[Volt]

Don't quote me on that, but Elphelt might fit, if not, you got Axl and Ky to a lesser extent.

[Shigekazu]

Hello, I want to play Jam in XRD due to my brief experience with her in +R, but I have been seeing and hearing that she horrendous to the point she cant beat any character at all. Looks like lost  ause from seeing that no Jam player is very successful so I have nothing to go on. Is Jam really viable at this point?

 

[Volt]

1 hour ago, Shigekazu said:

Hello, I want to play Jam in XRD due to my brief experience with her in +R, but I have been seeing and hearing that she horrendous to the point she cant beat any character at all. Looks like lost  ause from seeing that no Jam player is very successful so I have nothing to go on. Is Jam really viable at this point?

 

Japan also pretty much never even played Kagura in Blazblue before saying he's terrible and will always be terrible. Jam looks a bit bad right now but apparently she looks like her Reload counterpart. Maybe people just haven't figured her out yet or can't take +R out of their mind.

[Poultrygeist]

On 1/21/2016 at 3:57 PM, theonlypie314 said:

I really like Byakuya in UNIEL. I have no idea who the closest character in BBCPEX is though. Any recommendations?

What do you like about Byakuya?  If you can name what about him appeals to you then perhaps it will be easier to pinpoint a good BB character for you.

[heavymetalmixer]

14 minutes ago, Poultrygeist said:

What do you like about Byakuya?  If you can name what about him appeals to you then perhaps it will be easier to pinpoint a good BB character for you.

From the few Byakuya matches I saw (I don't play that game) I think that zoners and setplays characters are good, so my recomendations are: Litchi, Nu, Lambda, Izayoi and Valkenhayn.

[NeonLights23]

On 21 January 2016 at 11:57 PM, theonlypie314 said:

I really like Byakuya in UNIEL. I have no idea who the closest character in BBCPEX is though. Any recommendations?

Playing both games for quite a while (BB and UNIEL) Knowing that Byakuya is a very setplay/rekka heavy character with pretty long range whom usually needs to get something going in neutral, In BB i can pretty much suggest Litchi, Arakune or Kokonoe. since they usually fit into that kinda play style.

[drunkards_walk]

I'm not suggesting everyone should follow this process, but when I am looking for a main I go solely off how cool/interesting I find a characters design. Then, I mold my playstyle to fit their own. I personally find that by doing this I have more invested in the character and have less "character crisis" scenarios. 

[This Man]

Yeah I'm the same. I mained Ryu since SFII, but really liked Abel in SFIV. Man, the playstyle was totally different and it took me a looooong time to get good with him.

In GG, I love Potemkin and took time to learn him. Ky would've been an easier choice.

In BlazBlue, I'm awful with all the characters, but I like Noel's design.

Everyone's diffferent. Some need to win at all costs to keep a game interesting. But for me, pickng a character on style and design has worked for me.

[Shigekazu]

Hello, I waiting for Jam in Xrd. But, it seems like she worst character in the game. Apparently, nearly all the characters I like to play are terrible. I really want to look forward to playing her but considering there are other characters that are amazing tool set wise, and I tend to like the character that has little to nothing. What should I do?

[MLSTRM]

1 hour ago, Shigekazu said:

Hello, I waiting for Jam in Xrd. But, it seems like she worst character in the game. Apparently, nearly all the characters I like to play are terrible. I really want to look forward to playing her but considering there are other characters that are amazing tool set wise, and I tend to like the character that has little to nothing. What should I do?

If you think that you want to play Jam, play Jam. One of the best things about guilty gear is that even characters that aren't the best in the game can still win matches, It's all about matchup knowledge and building up your toolset/setups. Bear in mind people still play, and win with Potemkin and Ramlethal in Sign, and they're considered to be 2 of the worst characters in the game.

[Shigekazu]

4 minutes ago, MLSTRM said:

If you think that you want to play Jam, play Jam. One of the best things about guilty gear is that even characters that aren't the best in the game can still win matches, It's all about matchup knowledge and building up your toolset/setups. Bear in mind people still play, and win with Potemkin and Ramlethal in Sign, and they're considered to be 2 of the worst characters in the game.

Are you sure? Cause it seems like the other characters can just roll through me, no matter how hard I try..

[MLSTRM]

16 minutes ago, Shigekazu said:

Are you sure? Cause it seems like the other characters can just roll through me, no matter how hard I try..

It's not going to be easy, but part of it is that you might be playing against people who are of a higher skill level than you. It really depends what you want out of the game I guess. If you want to just win matches and don't care about character then you should pick a character that's considered strong. If you want to play a certain character because you like their play style, then you should play them regardless of how good they are, because that enjoyment of the character is what is going to keep you interested in the game. It might take you more effort than someone who plays another character to win a match, but if you really enjoy your character, then putting in the time to practice/improve your neutral/oki/whatever won't seem as boring as if you're forcing yourself to use a character that you don't like just so you can win.

[Shigekazu]

2 minutes ago, MLSTRM said:

It's not going to be easy, but part of it is that you might be playing against people who are of a higher skill level than you. It really depends what you want out of the game I guess. If you want to just win matches and don't care about character then you should pick a character that's considered strong. If you want to play a certain character because you like their play style, then you should play them regardless of how good they are, because that enjoyment of the character is what is going to keep you interested in the game. It might take you more effort than someone who plays another character to win a match, but if you really enjoy your character, then putting in the time to practice/improve your neutral/oki/whatever won't seem as boring as if you're forcing yourself to use a character that you don't like just so you can win.

I care about character, enjoyment, and im relatively new. But, i cant simply ignore that some people can just barely try with a top tier character, and Im throwing in all the work, and it doesnt show, and I get nothing from it.

 

[Kezia]

Quote

I care about character, enjoyment, and im relatively new. But, i cant simply ignore that some people can just barely try with a top tier character, and Im throwing in all the work, and it doesnt show, and I get nothing from it.

I'm not sure what kind of answer you are looking for...

Playing a top-tier character is not an 'instant-win' button. They may have easier confirms or more favourable matchups, but you still have to put in the work to be skilled/competitive.

No one can make the choice for you. If you like your character stick with them. Who knows, ASW might see they are struggling and give them some buffs. In which case your hard work just paid dividends. If losing and/or putting in some time to learn the character's strengths and matchups is not what you are looking for then try a higher tiered character.

Ultimately its up to you and there is no objective answer to this dilemma.

[Shigekazu]

55 minutes ago, Kezia said:

I'm not sure what kind of answer you are looking for...

Playing a top-tier character is not an 'instant-win' button. They may have easier confirms or more favourable matchups, but you still have to put in the work to be skilled/competitive.

No one can make the choice for you. If you like your character stick with them. Who knows, ASW might see they are struggling and give them some buffs. In which case your hard work just paid dividends. If losing and/or putting in some time to learn the character's strengths and matchups is not what you are looking for then try a higher tiered character.

Ultimately its up to you and there is no objective answer to this dilemma.

ok. I'll just stick with my character and see where it goes.

[mycot]

1 hour ago, Shigekazu said:

ok. I'll just stick with my character and see where it goes.

If it makes you feel better Arcsys does seem to be aware that Jam is underpowered compared to the rest of the cast so she's likely to be buffed. There's more reason to be hopeful than other situations. ("Potemkin's level of power is fine" my ass.)

[Shigekazu]

Hello, I have a question. I noticed when I focus on poking and playing "neutral" other than rushing down, I feel more comfortable. What is that called when I play like that, playstyle wise? Zoning, balanced, or poking? And which characters in persona and guilty gear allow me to profit from such a playstyle?

Also, What does it mean that a character has a defensive playstyle in the dustloop wiki?

[Airk]

I would call that sort of character a "footsies" character - it's not necessarily the best term, but if you call them a "neutral" character then you get conflated with zoners, who are always most comfortable at neutral.  Of course, I can't actually tell if you're talking about zoners or not... though probably not from the characters in your sig.

Defensive characters are characters who have strong space control and/or good defensive options but bad mixup/pressure, so their game plan depends on getting damage off of people's attempts to get through their defenses.  Many zoners are also defensive characters.

[Shigekazu]

30 minutes ago, Airk said:

I would call that sort of character a "footsies" character - it's not necessarily the best term, but if you call them a "neutral" character then you get conflated with zoners, who are always most comfortable at neutral.  Of course, I can't actually tell if you're talking about zoners or not... though probably not from the characters in your sig.

Defensive characters are characters who have strong space control and/or good defensive options but bad mixup/pressure, so their game plan depends on getting damage off of people's attempts to get through their defenses.  Many zoners are also defensive characters.

So footsies and zoning characters then. The characters on my sig are characters that im just rolling with(Well, maybe not tsubaki). Im still kinda searching for characters. Just like being able to do well at mid-range and full screen.

 

[MerryDingoes]

I recently picked up GG, and I want to learn a simple character with a focus on fundamentals for now. Is Ky the best character for this type of playstyle?

[heavymetalmixer]

Ky, Sol, Sin and Faust.

[JDE]

I'm still new here, too. I already have a BB main. Noel for now but I thought of trying Hibiki in CF. GG I'm still kind of deciding, but I usually aim for the character with the fast buttons & or highly mobile. I also look for how competent that they can be because I usually go to tournaments. 

[MerryDingoes]

On 4/4/2016 at 10:29 AM, heavymetalmixer said:

Ky, Sol, Sin and Faust.

I totally thought I thanked you months ago. Thanks, I'm sticking with Ky for now!