LK's GAMEPLAY RELATED QUESTIONS ONLY question thread

[huey253]

Tager has incredible difficulty avoiding being cursed. Things that will help you win the neutral game is charging sparkbolt if he lets you, reading 2D and sledging it BEFORE the first hit (Bad read is 100% curse, so be careful..), and just in general not pushing buttons if there's no read attached. Gotta 2C the jB if it was sloppily done, and once you have meter magna tech the tight ones. Good luck, worst case wait for CS2 lol, this is one of the dumbest matchups.

i don't think this matchup is getting any better in cs2 lol.

infact i think it is probably worse, along with the carl matchup

[Nini Heart]

LK, I wanted to ask you what do you think I should do to improve my game? I know for starters I must improve my blocking, stop dropping combos, and stop choking.

I saw you saying that having a good neutral game is important, but I still don't fully understand what all of that entails.

Also I saw you put Makoto as a character with good neutral game. What are her good neutral tools outside of J.2C, 2A and Parry? I feel like I'm already playing CS2 since I'm so heavily dependent on the corner for my wins against anyone who's reflexes are not horrible enough to eat 2Cs and against anyone who knows what moves get beat by 3C.

Now, this is more of a medical thing so you might not be able to answer but do you think smoking weed and drinking alcohol messes up your long term reflexes? I'm thinking of reducing my consumption of that shit if it can help me block overheads.

Also, do you know of a vitamin/fruit which helps improve your reflexes? I really wanna start blocking overheads.

Finally, I was wondering whether as Dacidbro said it's disrespectful to believe you can win consistently against someone who's good with a low tier character when the match-up is ass and that gravitating towards a higher tiered-character is the way to place higher in tournaments.

[Lord Knight]

As an Arakune player, the primary status quo of my character, allegedly, is to flail about and dodge everything/be hard to catch/hit/etc, I've always found that prospect to be gimmicky and really takes the fight nowhere, above all, vs better players, they always know how to maintain that perfect distance and stay neutral until they find a chance to punish any zoning attempt, which are all slow as hell and a green light for midscreen punish. All and all, I find the "dodge and repeat" method to be thoroughly unreliable unless I'm fighting Tager. Not to say that I don't dodge attacks, but there are times where I decide to stay and block, try and punish something or get offensive.

That said, my first question is: How advantageous is that method for Arakune?

My second question is: Is my alternative method any good? (To elaborate) Is it holding me back? Am I approaching the first method wrong?

I think you should split it up by matchup.

By no means is Arakune a "flail about and dodge everything" character. His movement is excellent and he has the tools to handle pretty much all his matches well. That being said, split it up into matches were you can freely zone (Noel, Ragna, Tager, etc) and matches where you have to play cautiously (Litchi, Bang, Rachel, etc). Try to find videos of the top CS1 Arakune's and see how they handle your questionable matchups.

This is just from my perspective, but having a "method" of playing a character is a bad way to approach when the same things won't work against every character.

Really? maybe its because I spent so much time fighting Arakune that curse mix up doesn't seem so bad, I must admit the invisible teleport's can get annoying if your not careful, I'd like to say that I find Litchi's Daisharin oki way more intimidating.

Arakune makes me rage

As a Ragna player I would like to know if theres anything you think I could still get out of CS1 to be prepared for CS2 besides match-up expierience. If you could answer this question I would appreciate it. Thanks LK.

Based just on this, I have no idea. Can you be more specific and let me know where you think you are?

LK, if i post a match video here, would you give me tips/critque/advice for improvement?

if not, i think a thread should be made :3

thanks,

huey25free :3

Sure.

[SolheartStud]

Well, I guess my biggest weakness (besides my lack of match-up expierience) is pressure and block strings. As far as combos go, it looks a lot about him has been tweaked so I don't really have to worry about Grabs into dash 5B or w/e anymore. I guess my question is, if I work on block-strings and spacing in CS1, will I still be able to apply it into CS2? Although I do know, that 5B>6A doesn't gattle anymore. Sorry that I was unclear before, and if you still can't answer don't worry about it then. Thank you for your time.

[Nobus3r1]

i don't think this matchup is getting any better in cs2 lol.

infact i think it is probably worse, along with the carl matchup

On one hand I think they fixed most of the instances where Gadget Finger whiffed on Arakune. On the other hand I really doubt that matters and that IB change plus a few changes to Arakunes moves do in fact make this matchup worse.

Now, this is more of a medical thing so you might not be able to answer but do you think smoking weed and drinking alcohol messes up your long term reflexes? I'm thinking of reducing my consumption of that shit if it can help me block overheads.

Also, do you know of a vitamin/fruit which helps improve your reflexes? I really wanna start blocking overheads.

That thudding sound you're hearing right now is me beating my head against my desk.

Short answer:

Long Answer: Yes, long term use of depressants can lead to impaired reflexes. How impaired will be dependent on duration, frequency and quantity. If you really, really want me to I can try to dig some stuff up on PubMed to support this.

[huey253]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9MgbOkyuHY

in "HD" quality

me vs ragna.

i watched it once and i realized that going i'm going for airgrabs too much

any other tips/suggestions/advice from you + anyone else in this thread

thanks alottt

[Dacidbro]

I don't think it's possible for CS2 ara to be as bad of a matchup for anyone. Maybe that's just me.

I think Tager will have a much, much, much better time with CS2 ara, for significantly lessened damage and length of curse, and as a result being raped much less for taking risks, especially early in the match before Ara has meter.

[huey253]

I don't think it's possible for CS2 ara to be as bad of a matchup for anyone. Maybe that's just me.

I think Tager will have a much, much, much better time with CS2 ara, for significantly lessened damage and length of curse, and as a result being raped much less for taking risks, especially early in the match before Ara has meter.

well, arakune's precurse game got buffed in cs2... and either way he pretty much rapes in curse

[Dacidbro]

But Tager's precurse game got buffed too. 6A might be a useful tool against jB, and jB got nerfed anyway. This matchup HAS to be better, IDGAF about the new buffed precurse mix up, Tager has a theoretical answer to every facet of mix up with a good enough read; he previously had no good answer to well spaced jB then mash curse on block with spaced 5D.

[Rhiya]

But Tager's precurse game got buffed too.

I love taking Dacid out of context

[Skye]

But Tager's precurse game got buffed too. 6A might be a useful tool against jB, and jB got nerfed anyway. This matchup HAS to be better, IDGAF about the new buffed precurse mix up, Tager has a theoretical answer to every facet of mix up with a good enough read; he previously had no good answer to well spaced jB then mash curse on block with spaced 5D.

After much deliberation, I found out what part of this post I decided to sig.

The match up, thus far has gotten worse.

J.b, although reduced in level hasn't changed much in terms of usability, in fact, with 5a's buff, it is much more stable. Also, Arakune can still zone Tager, no real need to approach him still, j.6d reaches further so Arakune actually has fullscreen options without the need to move forward a bit.

Lessened curse damage doesn't do much for Tager when Arakune now has recurse again. All he needs is a 5a > 6b.

Tager's pressure is still backdashable and 6[a] can be 2c'd on reaction.

Tager's options are roughly the same as CS1, but Arakune's options have increased greatly.

[Mumm-Ra]

+ Faster clouds

[A.X.I.S.]

6A does not have 1F super armor Dacid.

2A will work if Ara is persistent on j.B's.

2C will work and even sometimes trade in this instance too but its situational.

Collider will only work if Ara is doing it off a super or double jump.

The match up got worse in the way of Tager having to actually play even more solid than before, I mean the IB nerf actually might have took a shit on poor old Tager.

[Dacidbro]

You guys are ridiculous, you can't condemn the matchup before people have even been playing the game for 2 months. Give it time, stop being so pessimistic

I know 6A doesn't have F1 SA, but it still should be incredibly strong against Kune.

[Airk]

Well, I guess my biggest weakness (besides my lack of match-up expierience) is pressure and block strings. As far as combos go, it looks a lot about him has been tweaked so I don't really have to worry about Grabs into dash 5B or w/e anymore. I guess my question is, if I work on block-strings and spacing in CS1, will I still be able to apply it into CS2? Although I do know, that 5B>6A doesn't gattle anymore. Sorry that I was unclear before, and if you still can't answer don't worry about it then. Thank you for your time.

At the level of play you're describing, the answer seems like "There's still a ton you can get out of CS1, because your fundamentals are still weak" (Aside: Please don't be offended. I'm in the same boat.). Spacing, footsies, combo basics, hit confirms, etc are all going to carry to CS2, and while matchups are going to change somewhat, the basics of how each character works will not.

So. There is some specific stuff that won't carry to CS2, but the majority of the general skills you can get from CS1 will. Really, the only people who don't have anything to gain from playing more CS1 are the people who are absolutely flawless in their execution, pickups, blocking and reactions. The top fraction of a percent. The rest of us still need all the practice we can get.

[Lord Knight]

Well, I guess my biggest weakness (besides my lack of match-up expierience) is pressure and block strings. As far as combos go, it looks a lot about him has been tweaked so I don't really have to worry about Grabs into dash 5B or w/e anymore. I guess my question is, if I work on block-strings and spacing in CS1, will I still be able to apply it into CS2? Although I do know, that 5B>6A doesn't gattle anymore. Sorry that I was unclear before, and if you still can't answer don't worry about it then. Thank you for your time.

The stuff you're looking at is just general gameplay/fundamental type of things. You can keep working on these no matter what game you play. The better you learn your CS1 matchups, the less you need to tweak in CS2 (as in, you just have to adjust for the new things, which may not be a lot).

LK, I wanted to ask you what do you think I should do to improve my game? I know for starters I must improve my blocking, stop dropping combos, and stop choking.

I saw you saying that having a good neutral game is important, but I still don't fully understand what all of that entails.

Also I saw you put Makoto as a character with good neutral game. What are her good neutral tools outside of J.2C, 2A and Parry? I feel like I'm already playing CS2 since I'm so heavily dependent on the corner for my wins against anyone who's reflexes are not horrible enough to eat 2Cs and against anyone who knows what moves get beat by 3C.

Now, this is more of a medical thing so you might not be able to answer but do you think smoking weed and drinking alcohol messes up your long term reflexes? I'm thinking of reducing my consumption of that shit if it can help me block overheads.

Also, do you know of a vitamin/fruit which helps improve your reflexes? I really wanna start blocking overheads.

Finally, I was wondering whether as Dacidbro said it's disrespectful to believe you can win consistently against someone who's good with a low tier character when the match-up is ass and that gravitating towards a higher tiered-character is the way to place higher in tournaments.

Sounds like you have a gameplan together already, lol. Combos is obviously just training mode, blocking takes not only knowledge of a character but matchup experience (when will people do what, etc), and choking . . . dunno about that. Think positively!

People interpret what a neutral game is differently. For me, it's trying to position myself as well as I can all the time - maximizing my chances of putting my opponent in a disadvantageous situation (getting hit, forced to block, getting them near the corner) and keeping myself in a relatively advantageous situation. It's also recognizing when a character is superior to yours in this regard and adjusting for it (playing safely to reduce your chances of being in bad situation). It's using the tools your character has with purpose, and being able to confirm the hits you get into the best damage and positioning, or confirm the block into pressure.

To me, there's no one in CS with an outright BAD neutral game. I actually think you overestimate how good her j2C is and don't focus on her other tools. I said before Makoto's neutral game is great (pretty sure), but that's because "great" is the average for CS. I didn't see you use jCC at all - using that move right is really good and one of Makoto's best tools. I'm no Makoto expert, but 6C, jCC, dash 2A, 6A, parry, and 3C (on reaction though, not random) are all great tools for neutral. I felt like you weren't playing in Makoto's optimal range (granted it's hard to get there when playing vs Litchi).

Smoking weed/drinking will definitely fuck you up lol, especially weed. You don't need a magic pill to help your reflexes, just play more (IRL if possible) and you'll get it.

I wouldn't go as far as "disrespectful". Like I said before, as long as you don't pick bottom 4, you can win in CS1. If someone is just riding character strength, they'll just do badly even if the matchup is bad.

[St1ckBuG]

Dear Mr. LordKnight (no space),

I've heard that because of how broken Litchi is in CS1, that you've become way too spoiled and that you're a top tier whore (even though you played her in CT... but you're still a top tier whore IMO). I also heard that people say that her tier placement was the only thing holding them back from "bodying you" for "free". Because of this, do you see yourself sucking so bad in CS2, that you'll be forced to go back playing Brawl with middle school children? Do you believe that because Litchi won't be top anymore (I mean comon, the game has been out for a month now, we know who is top tier week 1) that these players will mop the floor with you?

Do you feel that people tend to over-analyze fighting games, when it just comes down to making blind decisions and educated guesses based on your knowledge of the mechanics and matchup(s)? Of course there is some physical element to it in terms of reflexes and execution, but these are trivial characteristics when trying to find answers to specific scenarios. Pretty much, do you think FG's in general can be broken down through common sense and correct information (such as published frame data)?

Do you feel that people who hate BB actually don't understand how to play it and are just salty because they get randomed out easily?

Do you feel that there is (a lot of) dumb shit in BB in terms of balance and mechanics? Do you think some of these things were dealth with in CS2?

When is CS2 going to be released through DLC for free? I can't seem to find Mori's geoctities page to find the correct date. My friends and I were REALLY SURE that it was going to be released 2 weeks before arcade, but Mori lied to us.

On a scale of 1-GODLIKE (godlike godlike godlike), exactly how good is K-BBQ?

Which do you perfer: Japan, Brittania, China, or France?

Sincerely,

Mr. St1ckBuG

Team St1ckBuG, LLC.

[Dacidbro]

"Disrespectful to your opponent" was more to make a point than anything. If you can put the time in, you can definitely win with a "weaker" character, just don't expect someone who has spent equal time to get bodied by you. You get out what you put in.

Also, personally, I always drink an energy drink or two at tournament. I believe it helps, but I can also just get things to work by placebo effect (IE if I drink this energy drink, I'll be able to tech Copper Dabbit's tick grabs in grand finals)

[Osuna]

You guys are ridiculous, you can't condemn the matchup before people have even been playing the game for 2 months. Give it time, stop being so pessimistic

I know 6A doesn't have F1 SA, but it still should be incredibly strong against Kune.

Dacid, you're ridiculous. You can't say a match up will get better before people have even been playing the game for 2 months. Give it time, stop being so optimistic.

That argument doesn't imply you're right. It implies we shouldn't even be talking about this. Then you go on to talk more about it. Either we can speculate or we can't. Make up your mind.

I did hear is j.B got nerfed in some way that was never fully explained to me (It better no longer be jump cancelable for all these assertions it would be beaten by 6A.), but it's not like arakune doesn't have very many air options. He spends quite a lot of time in the air and can combo into curse from j.A, so I don't see the big deal about 6A's new properties yet. It seems to me that it very slightly limits options by existing and then never gets used outside of combos.

[Dacidbro]

Sincerely,

Mr. St1ckBuG

Team St1ckBuG, LLC.

Lmfao

Too fucking good

TOO FUCKING GOOD.

@Osuna: There is more reason to believe it will be a better matchup than a worse one, as this installment was intended to balance the characters better, where Ara was on the top and Tager was on the bottom. For that reason, I can more safely say to wait for people to figure out the matchup and it should be BETTER, than wait for people to figure out the matchup and it should be WORSE. Basically, I haven't seen any Tagers trying to use their new fancy tricks, probably because human error is a huge factor in most of his new possibilities and they simply haven't had enough time to play around with it. IB 6A could be very strong, IB Voltech 720 may be very strong. He has possibilities, give it time.

I guess my argument is the beginning of the match is much, much lower risk than it used to be, and Tager may be able to take advantage of that.

Edited February 7, 2011 by Dacidbro

[choysauce]

Hey LK,

I noticed your response on top player mentality and having a strategy for a character you are fighting.

i've talked to combofiend as well and he had a similar response saying that he has his own custom flowchart for his matchups.

can you give an example of what your strategy looks like? (if u can, could u give me a strat as if you were rachel vs. jin) should it be comprehensive or more simple to account for your opponent's playstyle?

[huey253]

Lmfao

Too fucking good

TOO FUCKING GOOD.

@Osuna: There is more reason to believe it will be a better matchup than a worse one, as this installment was intended to balance the characters better, where Ara was on the top and Tager was on the bottom. For that reason, I can more safely say to wait for people to figure out the matchup and it should be BETTER, than wait for people to figure out the matchup and it should be WORSE. Basically, I haven't seen any Tagers trying to use their new fancy tricks, probably because human error is a huge factor in most of his new possibilities and they simply haven't had enough time to play around with it. IB 6A could be very strong, IB Voltech 720 may be very strong. He has possibilities, give it time.

I guess my argument is the beginning of the match is much, much lower risk than it used to be, and Tager may be able to take advantage of that.

the game could be more balanced, but it seems there are possibly worse matchups.

like carl vs tager looks ct level silly again lol.

[Dacidbro]

It very well might be, but it also might not. Give it time.

I bet backdashing out of UB set ups will be critical, and I haven't seen a Tager do it yet.

[FlyingVe]

It's almost like, you know, there's a reason the Tager players aren't using those new "tricks"...?

[MashThat5A]

LK, what is the best way to get your opponents to respect your pressure? I play Ragna and he has a lot of trouble forcing teching and blocking outside of 3C and 22C oki, and even then the 3C requires you to condition your opponent. Do some characters just have a hard time with this?