[CS2] Taokaka vs Bang

[Domethieus]

Will edit this once more information is collected. Till then, discuss.

[CrazyApe]

Ok I cant seem to get in on Bang his j.B seems to beat all of our air attacks any tips?

[NeoGio0o]

Finally got around to doing this one sorry for the wait but GOW3 occupied a lot of my time. Bang vs Tao has been a matchup that has always been in Tao's favor since the first game even in CS1 where bang was at his prime the Cat was still the dominant life form. So now that bang is much lower in tier and has gotten worse since CS1 it's safe to say this match up remains in Tao's favor. Still that is not to say bang doesn't have the tools and character potential to overcome the matchup.

Bangs Pressure- Bang's pressure is rather odd because despite never truly being in the positive frames out side of TK D-nails Bangs blockstrings remain almost impossible to punish and for the most part safe on regular block. Most of his pressure strings consist of 5A,2A,TK D-Nails,cross up j.4B as the primary starters and canceling these normal's into either late 5B,6A,2B to frame trap you (even on instant block) and if you don't get caught in the frame trap they cancel into 623B (palm strike) despite this move being -7 on block due to the push back tao can not safely punish this due to her lack of range.On instant block 623B pushes you back less and you get a legit dash 5B,3C,J8D-A loop guaranteed punish (even though on instant block it's -10 bang does not believe in counter hit state so no 2C starter for you). Bang can reset pressure with Tk-D nails (+6 on block) and if your blocking too much he has a command grab which he can RC into 5k mid-screen, 6K+ in the corner, and 4.9k unburstable damage (requires him to have 100 heat). Other things to note is that bang is really good at catching jump outs and unless he is going for a command grab or something really unsafe your not going to have the frames to really mash out of any of his blockstrings. Unfortunately for Bang despite having such solid pressure his damage mid-screen without heat is pitiful. Overall his pressure is not something to be taken lightly his corner carry is not that bad and he can get decent damage in the corner along with some good ole BB oki.

Bang's Anti air's- 2D (this is his best bet at an anti air due to the guard point), 5A( once in a blue moon it will happen), 5C( don't ask but it works....rarely), Ashura(waste of heat but legit). 2D is the closest thing he has to an anti air the guard point combined with the teleport and being JC makes it somewhat reliable, but it's insanely easy to punish on whiff and good use of triple jumps will get bangs to just not even bother. Ashura is the fire super he does in terms of being an anti air it definitely gets the job done and ashura is actually really hard to properly punish due to the flames push back and his quick recovery (will cover more on it later).

Tao pressure on Bang-Bang's drives have never been good in this match up and so it's safe to say you can go pretty crazy with your pressure just make sure you always have a 2A in there to catch drive mashes (2D loses to lows and 6D loses to highs but has a lot of startup about 19 frames ).Overall pressure on bang can be endless the only thing you have to respect is when he has 50 heat, Ashura is generally safe and insanely hard to get a good punish best one I got was a 2B,6A punish from point blank range and it was on IB as mentioned before bang does not believe in counter hit state.Pretty much bait Ashura and return to neutral the super is safe on normal block and there nothing you can do to stop the 5A/6D/2D mash that comes after you block Ashura plus you don't have the health to take guesses.

Neutral game- Hands down this is in Tao's favor bang needs nails to get in safely besides tao never being in one spot for too long making D-Nail approaches almost useless you can pretty much run away till the person wastes all his nails.Bang without nails means he has no way to get in on you which can make this match insanely easier. Bang really can't stop High J.D-B cancels too well and it's a good way to dodge D-nails. What bang really lacks is an air normal with an answer for everything so just constantly switch between ground movement and air movement and you should be fine in terms of approaching. I highly recommend at the start of the match you get the bang player to waste at least half his nails before making your approach that way when you have to block pressure bang won't be able to restart his pressure after 623B. Constant movement is a must in this matchup and don't be afraid to throw out a j.c or two bang really can't stop Tao's air options if they are spaced properly.This should be where most of your damage comes from more or less.

Best tools in the matchup-Mobility like always is very helpful in getting around nails and staying away from bumper mixup, 2B is pretty underrated in terms of controlling the space in front of you when he is out of range to hit you with 5A/5B.In the air J.c and J.D are really all you need occasional J.A mixed with a few air throws stops bang from jumping out your pressure,2D has it's uses as well will talk about that more a bit later on.Pretty much be patient and stick to your superior neutral game to win the match.

Getting out of Bang's pressure- Okay as mentioned earlier Bang's pressure is solid it's just his damage that sucks, but be warned damage does add up and it's good to know what damage is worth taking sometimes. On regular block 623B pretty much ends his pressure string and a lot of his pressure revolves around trying to get you to flinch and really getting in your head.I have had bangs literally command grab me 3 times straight without 50 heat to RC because I showed too much respect and then kill me off when i try to mash out in the end. Bangs going to keep getting baby damage mid-screen that will add up in time I recommend you keep calm and let this play out because the real mind games don't start until he has the meter to command grab RC you. Bang has a command grab sure you can mash out of it and jump away,but generally the bang player will throw it out when they know your not mashing or trying to jump away anymore. So it's important to learn how to take minor risks,would you rather lose 1k for getting caught mashing mid-screen or 5K because you try to block it out. If bang ever has 100 heat and you have less than 4.9K health im sorry to tell you this but your dead if you get command grabbed (command grab,RC,Daifuunka=4.9k unburstable damage). By itself his command grab does around 2K so it's not something you can just keep taking over and over again. What this all boils down to is that you need to learn how to read your opponent properly in order to really get out his pressure. Bangs pressure is all mind games an example of this is when you IB 6A you can backdash safely so long as he doesn't do 2C but if he does do 2C he can go into 623B and use D-nails to get BB oki. IB back dash is pretty useful when they are doing things like 2A,2A,5A,6A (frame trap),dash 5A/5B, just be sure not to abuse it or else they will catch on and start tagging your back dash for some easy damage. regardless of how small the damage may be tao has only 9.5k so you be surprised how quickly it will add up. One thing to note if you IB 5C(overhead chop) you can 5B,6A(must be done really fast) for free. A lot of bangs will do 5C,delay 5D,delay 623B to try and catch a mash out out in between while staying safe but this does not work if you IB 5C please do your best to IB this move or avoid mashing if you normal block, health is not something you have to throw away.

Things to look out for- Do your best to not get command grabbed or mind fudged by people command grabbing you over and over try to keep a clear head and always make it your top priority to return to tao's superior neutral game. Ashura mash out is legit so respect him a bit when he has 50 heat avoid using j.2B when he has 50 heat it's really easy to ashura that because of how active it is and always try to bait it out and get him to waste his heat. No heat= no big damage of command grab/RC corner carry combos, stick to your solid and safe blockstrings and take small risks most of your damage will come straight from the neutral game so don't worry too much about mixing him up.Always bait out bangs drive mash outs by simply jumping away or just beating it clean with 2A (should be your main pressure/re-pressure tool against him) it will catch 6D startup and beat 2D clean.

Bangs j.B-(Information from before)If he is right above you 2D beats it clean, but for the most part it's a spacing thing if you can get it to whiff in the air then you get a free J.D,J.C,CH. J.A can also be used if your really close and is very good if done either after you see him j.B or very preemptively.

In terms of range it will trade with J.C if done simultaneously so I would recommend only using J.C if you can position your self above him since Bang's J.B obviously doesn't have a good vertical hit box. So the best way to deal with it air to air horizontally is to make it whiff and then using J.D to catch the recovery (I was surprised that he has recovery frames because lol bang), it is not wise to try and beat it head on because it's just free damage for bang.

Your final option if they J.B and your still on the ground run up 6A. Worst case scenario it trades in tao's favor from my knowledge he cannot perform any actions after he uses J.B and it whiff's so he has to land, but for the record on hit he can cancel into his other jump/Air dash.

Final words-Stick to the neutral game and make him waste nails nothing much can really be said besides use your burst early to avoid him from stacking too much damage on you, try to really burst his better starters like his over head and command grab combos. Saving your burst is not recommended because 623B brakes a primer and can be RC into another and another with 100 heat which will really deplete your barrier gauge, so try to burst in between rounds to avoid this happening to you. Keep a strong mind and use good judgement when trying to escape his pressure. As always be unpredictable with your approaches and try to lame out as many of his nails as possible.If you can IB 6A back dash and force them to 2C,623B (start blocking when this happens) this will end his pressure and return you back to neutral. where Tao shines. Overall Bang has a problem stuffing Tao's drives and air normal's consistently so throw them out every now and then to fish for counter hits.

Will edit this post for accuracy and to add more info that i may obtain.

Edited September 29, 2011 by NeoGio0o

[Cryingvoid]

Very nice guide, Neo. You know, nice bangs really mindfuck you a lot. When I get about 80% of his health by my neutral game, and then he does a midscreen combo, oki in corner, and with a command grab he finally kills me, it makes me cry. You may take a look at one of our tournaments. Last two matches are grand finals, Tao vs Bang. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15887391 I was worried like hell and dropped every single combo. No I see how stupid I carried out the defense, yet my footsies and overall neutral game were not too bad (except for drive'ing into his nails), so if not so many drops, wake up supers and more confidence defending, I believe I could have won. The tournament was in the beginning of summer, so ever since I've been working deeply on blocking, defending and general match up knowledge.

[NeoGio0o]

Very nice guide, Neo. You know, nice bangs really mindfuck you a lot. When I get about 80% of his health by my neutral game, and then he does a midscreen combo, oki in corner, and with a command grab he finally kills me, it makes me cry. You may take a look at one of our tournaments. Last two matches are grand finals, Tao vs Bang. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15887391 I was worried like hell and dropped every single combo. No I see how stupid I carried out the defense, yet my footsies and overall neutral game were not too bad (except for drive'ing into his nails), so if not so many drops, wake up supers and more confidence defending, I believe I could have won. The tournament was in the beginning of summer, so ever since I've been working deeply on blocking, defending and general match up knowledge.

Not sure if the Pm went through I watched the video and sent you some advice you might want to try out.