The Warrant Thread

[Koozebanian Fazoob]

Righto, this thread is henceforth dedicated to warrant and everything you can do with it.

For the people who aren't in the know, Warrant is the 214K reversal that eats absolutely everything that isn't a throw. the counter animation is active during frames 4-19, and it's 42 frames in total. If hit, Testament crosses up the opponent while inducing an enormous amount of hitstop, depending on the level of the incoming attack.

A blocked warrant gives your opponent time to do absolutely anything, so make sure you learn his FRC to keep it safe. After countering a move, warrant is beat invulnerable for 32 frames. The FRC timing is immediately after this, making it almost completely safe.

Since warrant poisons the opponent, the damage from a combo after warrant is always on the humongous scale. Combos from warrant is listed in the combo thread.

Now, the real reason I created this thread is in order to start a Testa-community project detailing what moves each character have that is a good idea to warrant. Many moves can be warranted on reaction if you're on the lookout for them, which can often turn a match right around.

Please list your experience with warrant against different characters. Please add if what you are suggesting is only theory, as opposed to match experience. Also, we're not out to list every move you can warrant (i.e. when the opponent can't block it afterwards), but the moves that it's a good idea to warrant.

Anji

* Rin - Dead easy. If you see it, always warrant. It's easy.

* FB Rin - Needs a bit more predicting or good reflexes, but still a good move to warrant.

* Low stomp - Easy to warrant on reaction if the Anji player likes to throw it out in blockstrings.

* Fuujin P followup (throwing fans) - Easy to do on reaction, but he can block it. On the other hand, he needs to remember the crossup and to FD, and if he does anything else he gets hit. I also believe that he can't punish you even if he blocks it.

* Shitsu (butterfly) - If he likes to throw it out during pressure, you can warrant it no matter how close he is after blocking any of his moves except HS, 6P, 2HS and 2D.

* 3P - popular move to do after the first hit of a shitsu. Possible to warrant on reaction if you're ready for it.

Baiken

* Kabari (Chain) - Can be warranted on reaction. She has to RC to avoid being hit.

* Sakura - Need to be predicted. If Baiken has tension, make sure you do as well or she'll FRC and punish you.

* super low iad Tatami (23696 K) - If Baiken likes to do this for getting in, be ready to warrant it.

Dizzy

Dizzy can almost never be warranted since her offense is most often covered by a fish that will eat the hit from the warrant. Use this move with extreme caution against her

* Ice spike - This is a pure case of predicting the attack. Dizzy's has a tendency to use this move as a poke at times, since it covers a big area eats up traps like mad and is decently safe if FRCed. If you feel it coming, try for a warrant. It's guaranteed to hit (she doesn't have time to FRC) and it's quite hard for her to punish you badly if you guessed wrong. Just make sure you don't get predictable.

* Gamma Ray - This is a bit silly, but if she tries to be cheeky and guard damage you to death or something, you can warrant the big beam to get out.

Ky

One of the easiest characters to warrant. All of his pokes can be warranted safely. For all applicable moves listed below, an FRC from Ky will save him.

* Slow stun edge - Can be warranted from about half a screen away. They are frankly a bit iffy because it's not all that easy to react to them and calculate your distance at the same time.

* Fast stun edge - Can be warranted except from absolute max distance. If he starts spamming these, teach him not to.

* Charge stun edge - Ground version can be warranted only if you're right in front of him. Use when he mistimes his oki. Air version can be warranted pretty much always.

* Air stun edge - Just do it. Dead easy to do and the pretty much always hit. FRC's are the only trouble here. Be ready with your own.

* Greed sever - Theoretically a good move to warrant, but I find it hard to do on reaction.

Jam

Don't try to warrant her normal attacks, ever. She is fast enough to hit your warrant, cancel into another move and still have time to block it

* Hyappou, normal and FB - This is your primary defense against a Jam spamming FB puffball. It is possible to warrant it on reaction, turning the tide greatly in your favour. It works just as well on regular puffballs. Just beware of her canceling the command dash into the dodge move instead if you get too warrant happy.

Zappa

* The thrown ghost that goes straight forward can be warranted like ky's slow stun edge, but it's even slower and thus easier. If he does the aerial version it's almost a guaranteed hit.

* Sword charge (236S) followups - I haven't really tried this in a match, but it might work out as a way to get out of that annoying bullshit pressure of his. Someone who plays against a Zappa try it and let me know how it works out.

Sol

* Tyrant Rave - If the first hit is blocked, warrant the second.

* Riot Stomp - You can warrant this, but depending on how high above the ground he is, he might have time to block. It's generally better to just 6P it...

Axl

Axl's pokes can all be warranted giving you an easy way in but, he can cancel his pokes to one of his counter moves, beating your warrant. Be very careful.

* Byakuerenshou (overdrive) - If you block the first part, warrant the second.

* 2HS - His only poke that can't be special canceled, and thus the best one to warrant. It's not really something you take on reaction, but if you find a pattern in how the Axl uses it, this is the way to punish it.

Slayer

Just a note here. The only moves of Slayer's that I have found can be warranted well are 2HS and 6HS, both of which can be predicted decently well. It used to be a good idea try from time to time to bait these because he really had a hard time to punish you properly for a missed attempt. Now though he can just hit you with 2HS or BB Upper for huuuge punishment. So I really don't recommend even trying. Possibly if he has no tension and you feel daring.

Eddie

* Invite Hell - This move is frequently spammed, so it's a good one to warrant. He needs to FRC to avoid it. However, if you guessed wrong, you basically gave him a free opportunity to lay the smackdown on you (another drill for knocking you, then shadow pressure into doom). I haven't had a chance to try it out much, but I'd say use it, but with caution.

A.B.A

Danzai (Super armour move) - If the first hit is blocked, warrant the second. It's quite easy. This holds for the FB version as well.

That's that for now. I'll add any new findings to this post. Now go out there and use warrant more!

[Caer-caveral]

And we are back in business. The warrant is alive! If anyone wonders what's going on, this thread was auto deleted by the forum a while ago, but Gwyrgyn managed to dig it up again (at least this post). So let's start over and get the warrants going. I plan to add some stuff soon, so please make sure you all do too =)

[holy diver]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm. let's begin with a ""simple"" one: Pot. I've said "simple" because, if you don't warrant his moves properly, a good pot will always IB and buster you all times. hammerfall and megafist can easily been noticed and warranted properly but remember the frc: take always a look to pot tension bar. even the move after the mirror overdrive( gigantor??!) can be warranted succesfuly , but only if you warrant the last part of the OD: if you warrant in the beginning you will miss pot. pokes: 6hs(be careful!!!!!!), j.s and j.d.

[DoomieJ]

I have found the best way to use warrant is with an oki Net. It will work well if you have an opponent who is usually overconfident that his moves with easily go through the net (Slayer, Pots, etc.) warranting on reaction i have found to be pretty challenging so baiting people with a net is a lot easier for me. Still a beginner but i am picking up quickly. Thanks for all the Ky and Anji Info ^_^.

[Tiamat]

against eddie it seems useful to use it when he's doing a string into 236K cause there should always be enough of a gap for you to use it. I assume he can block it but I've had some success with it lately

[Alzarath]

Robo-Ky's dash can be warranted pretty much everytime from my xp.

[DoomieJ]

I have been practicing a lot vs. eddie as of late, and you can almost always tell when he is about to run up and do one of this little eddie moves. Whether or not it hits eddie isn't the point, it will DEFINATLY destroy his pet, making it a lot harder for him to do his setups and RTSD. Also, Vs. Venom with the ball summons, you can almost always warrant his slow ball pokes at you.

[iora]

Robo-Ky's dash can be warranted pretty much everytime from my xp.

dash-brake or it's frc point (right fuckin quick after he starts to learn forward for it, like a few frames) might make it a little harder to place when to do it.... be sure its a dash and not a fake-out

i believe you can warrant TK robo-missiles with some success (especially if its lobbed in 2/3 rep sets) since he would either be in the air or just landing, if just to dodge them at least

[Tiamat]

well robos like to mixup robo dash with run > command grab, and command grab obviously beats warrant. surprised neither of you mentioned that that.

[Alzarath]

I actually forgot robo-dash had an frc point <-

[iora]

wasnt sure if warrant > command grab... didnt wanna throw out the bad infos but thats my personal move of choice ^_^ shits tricky, so is dash-brake 6p/2s for a knockdown, or a 5d, or many of my fun stuffs :D

[DoomieJ]

Command throws > Testament. Well, most of them.

[Caer-caveral]

Okay, just some comments: first off, against Potemkin, warrant is very, very risky. It should not be done against grounded pokes because he can chain them to Pot Buster and own your soul. Also, hammerfall is a bit too risky in my mind since there is the hammerfall break. The j.D part is true though and a very nice counter, but apart from that I think warrant should be used very sparingly in this matchup. @Tiamat: About Eddie's 236K chain, it works, and he can't block it. Even nets you a counterhit. Might be a very good tool there, definitely needs to be tried out more. @DoomieJ: I really don't think it's worth it to warrant the shadow at all times. If he just blocks the warrant, he gets combo > knockdown > summon > you die. Even if the warrant hits the shadow instead, he gets a free combo on you, which, while not something that immediately kills you, just isn't worth it.

[Tiamat]

@Tiamat: About Eddie's 236K chain, it works, and he can't block it. Even nets you a counterhit. Might be a very good tool there, definitely needs to be tried out more.

I just tested in training mode and you are right. I was using it with good effect in some casuals last week and it was never blocked, but I thought maybe the unexpected crossup was just catching him by surprise. knowing that it's really guaranteed in that situation is totally kickass

[DJ Xero]

In this game, Potemkin can buster you out of warrant more times than not. Unless he's using Slidehead, or another pretty easy to dodge move, it's almost always unsafe, as he'll get you far before your hit actually activates. It's stupid, but I've seen it far too many times.

[B.L. Pancho]

I personally prefer dealing with Puffballs with F.EXE Beast because it's more all encompassing, you don't have to be challenged to a reaction contest, and it's positive on block and just very freaking good. For Potemkin I was thinking it was probably a decent option to use once in a while if he gets j.H happy...but again only once in a blue moon because the risk definately outweighs the reward in this particular matchup, furthermore you shouldn't be letting him get that close in the first place....

[Caer-caveral]

F.EXE against puffballs can't be good. More often than not, the best you can hope for is a trade, and that is NOT something you want to build your game around.

[B.L. Pancho]

F.EXE against puffballs can't be good. More often than not, the best you can hope for is a trade, and that is NOT something you want to build your game around.

I actually recently discovered that people were probably right about Warrant > EXE Beast for dealing with Puffball, although not for that exact reason. I was able to stop puffball many times with a psychic F.EXE without trading at all, the real problem I found was that because Jam can cover so much ground with her movement in almost any direction, there were a lot of times where I ate something else that was very big (aerial 214K into combo to name something) because of the dreadful recovery on F.EXE. Because she deals more damage to you if she randomly happens to attack you while your recovering from F. EXE than you do to her when hitting it, it's probably best to avoid using it all the time. Warrant might be better because although I haven't proven it on my behalf yet, using theory and peoples opinions so far it can be said that Warrant might have a greater ability to control Puffballs, as well as any other tools she can mix it up with , especially if it can be done on reaction. I would just change my tactics and limit F.EXE use in this match in general and instead focus on nets and Warranting Puffballs as well as max punishing mistakes.