[CS2] Hazama vs. Litchi

[Dusty]

Matchup Ranking: 6-4 Hazama's favor

Recommended Playstyle:

Play defense in neutral, wait for chances to go in, then rush her down.

Basic/Matchup overview:

Control Litchi with chains, make her move where you want her to move. 3C is very useful in this match.

long-distance: Throw chains, there isn't alot she can do about it if you play smart. Watch out for when she throws the staff and runs in the try and close the distance. If she gets too close just back off.

mid range: 3c is very good in this match. Watch out for staff 6B but 3C will go under it if spaced correctly. Her staff 2C is a very good anti air and goes pretty high up into the air so watch out as this move may clip you as you try to fly around.

short range: This is where the game gets really bad for Litchi or really bad for Hazama. Both Litchi and Hazama have really strong pressure. Once Litchi puts the pressure on Hazama you literally have to take a good guess to get out, as her staffless pressure is easily resettable and very scary. Once Hazama puts the pressure on Litchi her normals are really slow and it's hard for her to break out, unless she uses her DP which can't be rapid cancel'd. Use safe pressure on Litchi to attempt to bait out the DP when you feel them getting desperate and go for your big 3C punish.

Best tools: 3C, playing footsies with this move makes Litchi sad.

Things To Look Out For:

Watch Litchi when she sets her staff and throw the correct chain at her when she throws the staff to stop her from running in on you for free.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Dusty

[Warriorkiller]

can anyone give me tips on how to beat this **** in CS2? everytime I try to zone her staff beats my chains and I get countered by it, if I don,t hitconfirm my chains and come whenever i want for crossups or nything it's free All Green for her, her blockstring is endless, she can do much pain form either lows and highs, does massive damage in corner and midscreen.... she just have everything agains't Hazama, plus that ****** DP of her...

[Fluck]

Dusty, you're PNW so this shouldn't be new to you but sG says that you have to be careful against Litchi when staff is set cause she can CH you with the staff launch and you'll die to that. You can't just play wildly.

Also of note is that Litchi's air normals are better than yours.

[C0R]

I think that was covered in the entire "Things to Look Out For" bit.

[Fluck]

Eh, I thought of that but what he says is slightly different. I felt that he was saying you should stuff Litchi's staff attempts instead of blocking it cause it gives her free approach. The action you take is the same but imo I think he should highlight the danger of a CH staff leading into a 5k(?) combo.

[Dusty]

J.B is pretty decent against her, and since the threat of CS1 staff J.C is gone you can actually challenge her a little bit in the air if you're at the correct spacing.

Allow me to elaborate the Litchi staff thing. Watch Litchi in neutral if she CROUCHES and sets the staff, when she throws it the staff will travel along the floor, which in most cases you should jump up in the air and throw J.6D or j4.D, to attempt to hit her or make her block which will cause the staff to deactivate or you can run away. If she's STANDING and sets the staff, when she throws it the staff will travel in the air, throw 5D or 3C if she starts running at you to hit her or make her block to deactivate the staff. If she jumps, 2C's head invulnerability with keep you safe from getting hit by the staff.

WATCH LITCHI WHEN SHE SETS HER STAFF. This alone makes the match 100 times easier.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Dusty

[Fluck]

J.B is pretty decent against her, and since the threat of CS1 staff J.C is gone you can actually challenge her a little bit in the air if you're at the correct spacing.

Well, ok then. Airthrow seems to be the best air-to-air move in alot of situations now though, what's your take on this?

[Dusty]

Well, ok then. Airthrow seems to be the best air-to-air move in alot of situations now though, what's your take on this?

From my Litchi experience (sG) he's pretty on the ball with spacing on air normals and doing them preemptively to already have them out to hit air grab attempts. Imo Air grab is a great option if Litchi is above you since the air grab hit box goes pretty high above you and Litchi's air normals don't reach too far below her.

J.B sparingly is the way to go if you are at about the same level in the air. If she has staff most of the time you will lose, but don't be too afraid if she's staffless. The main thing is try not to go air to air with her with use the chains to poke her out of the air.

[Warriorkiller]

thanks it does help a bit I didn't know about how she throws her staff, I just don't understand this character well, all the moves she can and can't do with or w/o the staff... his her DP punishable on block? because that's waht gives me headaches

[mikenapalm]

If you block the first hit of it, I believe its safe. You want to make the first hit whiff then dash in and hit her for it before the second one comes down.

This is a match you really, REALLY want to keep at neutral. I rip my hair out playing(read: smashing my face against the controller in frustration) this match up against LK. Watch your spacing at all times.

I'm gonna say that one again. Watch your spacing at all times.

Full screen: play the chain harassment game to stop her advances. Move in on hit only.

Her flying staff goes away on hit AND block. Watch her set position and be ready to 5D/ 6D or J5D/ J6D when she sends it flying.

Mid Range: This is you weakest range. You wont see a good Litchi without her staff in this range meaning her range > yours. Try to use barrier to push her away and reset to neutral again/ punish a whiff with chains. Try using short chained SJ J4DD > JB to move in on her unexpectedly and combo/ start pressure.

You can 3C under her 6B[m] and IttsuB. Just make sure you can hit her with it because it'll still punish you for whiffing.

4D at max range is stupid amounts of safe, since shell be hitting you on the last active frames. Itll beat low profile moves. Might be able to late 5A or 2C her out of it. I really don't know to deal with this move.

6B[m] CH or air hit hurts. A lot. Don't get hit by it ever or it's gonna be a very short round for you.

2C[m] you don't have to be as scared of. It's still a good AA though, and she gets good damage and a corner carry from it. Just not 6K meterless good.

jC[m] is still good to throw out to move in. I don't have any definite answers to this one. It depends on the range.

Close range: Litchi can pressure you really well. Pay attention to whether or not she has her staff when you score knockdown. Backdash and bait DP if she does. I like to hold on to 50 meter at all times in this area, so I can maintain the threat of OS Hotenjin in the corner or to dead angle if I mess up and up blocking.

Be extremely cautious if you're gonna try to IB> Jayoku or throw out Jayoku in general. Litchi can cancel almost anything into Ittsu and hold that shit to bait it. Instant sadlife.

If you get hit by her DP or she does a combo into DP, be ready to roll forward and Jayoku her if she tries to use Kokshi.

Speaking of DP, she can use it to drop you out of the sky if you try to escape.

If she does a 5D staff set you can use 2D to kill the staffs hitbox above you and get out. But that's very situational.

Don't use barrier if shes in the air directly above you. J2D can cross up and make you do an attack if you're holding barrier.

Litchi can use J2D to beat a throw attempt/ tech. She might try to use this after running directly into you. Always use throw OS and react to throw attempt to avoid TRM tactics.

Kokshi kinda pulls you forward when blocking. So in the corner she can iAD over your head to make you eat it.

Theres some silly good Daisharin mix ups she can do as well but that escapes me at the moment. Be ready to tech throw to stop your Dead Angle attempt.

If shes got you up in the air in a Daisharin and you're on your last primer she might try to pink throw you before the last hit of Daisharin comes down as a reset. If you don't tech you eat damage, if you do tech Daisharin comes down and guard breaks you. Be ready to tech and barrier. Maybe airdash forward.

If only I could play this well. I might actually win tournaments and stuff.

[Fluck]

I don't think Tsubame is safe if you block it. You just need to do dash 3C and you will get your CH.

[Warriorkiller]

If you block the first hit of it, I believe its safe. You want to make the first hit whiff then dash in and hit her for it before the second one comes down.

This is a match you really, REALLY want to keep at neutral. I rip my hair out playing(read: smashing my face against the controller in frustration) this match up against LK. Watch your spacing at all times.

I'm gonna say that one again. Watch your spacing at all times.

Full screen: play the chain harassment game to stop her advances. Move in on hit only.

Her flying staff goes away on hit AND block. Watch her set position and be ready to 5D/ 6D or J5D/ J6D when she sends it flying.

Mid Range: This is you weakest range. You wont see a good Litchi without her staff in this range meaning her range > yours. Try to use barrier to push her away and reset to neutral again/ punish a whiff with chains. Try using short chained SJ J4DD > JB to move in on her unexpectedly and combo/ start pressure.

You can 3C under her 6B[m] and IttsuB. Just make sure you can hit her with it because it'll still punish you for whiffing.

4D at max range is stupid amounts of safe, since shell be hitting you on the last active frames. Itll beat low profile moves. Might be able to late 5A or 2C her out of it. I really don't know to deal with this move.

6B[m] CH or air hit hurts. A lot. Don't get hit by it ever or it's gonna be a very short round for you.

2C[m] you don't have to be as scared of. It's still a good AA though, and she gets good damage and a corner carry from it. Just not 6K meterless good.

jC[m] is still good to throw out to move in. I don't have any definite answers to this one. It depends on the range.

Close range: Litchi can pressure you really well. Pay attention to whether or not she has her staff when you score knockdown. Backdash and bait DP if she does. I like to hold on to 50 meter at all times in this area, so I can maintain the threat of OS Hotenjin in the corner or to dead angle if I mess up and up blocking.

Be extremely cautious if you're gonna try to IB> Jayoku or throw out Jayoku in general. Litchi can cancel almost anything into Ittsu and hold that shit to bait it. Instant sadlife.

If you get hit by her DP or she does a combo into DP, be ready to roll forward and Jayoku her if she tries to use Kokshi.

Speaking of DP, she can use it to drop you out of the sky if you try to escape.

If she does a 5D staff set you can use 2D to kill the staffs hitbox above you and get out. But that's very situational.

Don't use barrier if shes in the air directly above you. J2D can cross up and make you do an attack if you're holding barrier.

Litchi can use J2D to beat a throw attempt/ tech. She might try to use this after running directly into you. Always use throw OS and react to throw attempt to avoid TRM tactics.

Kokshi kinda pulls you forward when blocking. So in the corner she can iAD over your head to make you eat it.

Theres some silly good Daisharin mix ups she can do as well but that escapes me at the moment. Be ready to tech throw to stop your Dead Angle attempt.

If shes got you up in the air in a Daisharin and you're on your last primer she might try to pink throw you before the last hit of Daisharin comes down as a reset. If you don't tech you eat damage, if you do tech Daisharin comes down and guard breaks you. Be ready to tech and barrier. Maybe airdash forward.

If only I could play this well. I might actually win tournaments and stuff.

thanks that was helpful, but whats LK I've seen it before too but IDK what it means, same with IAD...

and what's her Kokshi move?

[mikenapalm]

LK is Lord Knight. He's a moderator of the Litchi forums, a top player, and maybe the best Litchi in America.

IAD stands for instant Air Dash. You do this by inputting 956(up-forward, neutral, forward)quickly. If done properly you'll get a really low dash.

Kokshi is her super that she does when her staff is set on the ground. The staff turns into a Gumby stick figure looking dude and starts spinning all over the place.

[Warriorkiller]

Kokshi is her super that she does when her staff is set on the ground. The staff turns into a Gumby stick figure looking dude and starts spinning all over the place.

thirteen orphans?

[mikenapalm]

I dont know what most of the English Names are.

[MetalMaelstrom]

Most people colloquially call it 'cigarette man'.

[Fluck]

Yes, it is Thirteen Orphans.