[CS1] Rachel vs Bang

[Jason D.]

This thread is for discussing Rachel vs Bang in BB:CS. Your 5A is as fast as his, you know.

[Jason D.]

Let's get positive. Bang's hitbox makes him very easy to combo. There's a reason every challenge mode opponent is him. And for Rachel, this means you can do stuff like mid-screen 5B, 5CDC, 214A, run, 3C, 236A (or two). He's also easy to hit with a level 3 j.2C after a BBL. That's right, that's your corner combos at mid-screen. All thanks to Bang's foot sticking out. Even my favorite corner combo of 5B, 5CDC, 214A, run, 6C, j.236C can work on him mid-screen if you start it close enough.

On the other hand, when he's standing, Bang is pretty dangerous. He owns you at close range. He has fast normals with good range, and his mix-up can be difficult to deal with considering his D nails, overhead, and command grab. In fact, his 5C overhead tends to chain together so tightly that you probably won't have time to start a 2C to counter it. One of the few overheads I block instead of cat chairing.

Don't ever try to anti-air him. His j.B and j.C will beat your 6A every time, and then they will make fun of your mother. I know it's painful to see a blatantly obvious air dash attempt, but you just gotta block and take it.

In lieu of real pressure, some Bangs may just do a blockstring of "hit hit hit, jump cancel, jump kick, hit hit hit, jump cancel, repeat". I find that jumping with him at the jump cancel and then intercepting him with your own j.B puts a stop to this.

But when he is doing real pressure, he tends to use 5A and 2A a lot for frame traps. Just be patient and continue blocking. Do not attempt to mash out a move, and do not attempt to jump away.

For some reason, some Bangs like to try to slide in as an answer to zoning. This is a horrible idea, and you should block it and then punish him with something starting from a 5B.

If your opponent relies on Bang's D moves too heavily, just do a run-up 2B a lot. Bang's 2D counter, when he ducks and does a little uppercut, has no immunity to low attacks. It's also the most common drive for him to use, because it's the only one that remains in auto-guard mode until the very moment it hits. So a 2B should get you some free damage regardless of which counter he chooses. This even works well on people who don't just spam D, if you can read them right. For instance, start Rachel's corner A Lobelia spam, and he'll probably try to counter his way out before long. Instead of the next Lobelia, just run up and 2B him. Free corner combo! And if you do attack him with any normal attack and you hit the auto-guard for his 2D, try to chain into a 2B or 3C immediately. You can still hit him before he hits you.

Some notes about Bang's supers. His Daifunka (running super) will pass through any projectiles, so be careful of random super if you're zoning. Luckily, it's also very unsafe on block. His Asura (explosion super) is safe on block, but is actually YOUR ADVANTAGE if he hits you with it. Weird, I know. If you survive it, just do a quick rise (down and A, B, or C), and then hit 5A. It's now your offensive, and he's most likely getting hit now, even. His Steel Rain (nail super) makes him invincible on startup, but the actual nails do not come down immediately. If you're not doing anything when you see the move start, just run forward full speed and maybe add a little 6D also. You'll escape to safety and will be able to punish him.

And as for his FRKZ, well... I have no good advice. He'll be able to do insane combos on you, and he'll be really hard to catch, hit, or counter. Just hope your opponent isn't good at controlling it. Good luck!

[unsanctifier]

Be careful with your zoning too. Random lobs can and will result in a Drive Teleport leading to a big fat punch to your face