[CP] Valkenhayn vs Carl

[Kiba]

Discuss the Carl matchup here!

[Stellarcircle5]

Will update into full matchup guide once I get more experience against the my local Carl player.

-Beast cannons go through Nirvana's body during Con Brio (623D). Places you right in Carl's face for mixup on block.

-Beast cannons trade with Nirvana during Con Fuoco (236D).

-5C, 6D, j.A h[5B, 2C etc..] Does not work on Carl. Use h[5B, 5C etc..] instead, though I'm sure most Valks know this.

-A good idea in neutral is to stand back and use h.5B/5C or w.5A to whittle down Nirvana, in the event that Carl gets you in the sandwich, youll have less BS to deal with from Nirvana.

-w.236B, 3D and w.SJ 66D are good ways to hop over Nirvana with minimal wolf meter usage. Watch out for Con Brio (623D) and the clap (8D).

-If Carl does an IAD into j.A mashing during sandwich pressure he is going to go high/low for a reset so be on the lookout.

-Counter Assault is your best bet for escaping pressure against Carl. The risk of unblockable resets and his high damage make the 50 meter worth it.

-Be wary of staying in wolf form on the ground for too long. Volante (421D) is Nirvana's projectile that can tag you from offscreen. If Nirvana is a half screens distance behind you, you can bet that she will toss one of these.

-It is a better choice to go for corner carry combos rather than damaging ones (beast cannons are great for this!). Separating the little bastard from Nirvana is more important than anything else.

-Sometimes simply plowing through Nirvana with w.5A to get to Carl works better than you would think. (Eg: w.5A, 5A, 5A, 5C. The 5As shut Nirvana down, while the 5C opens up Carl.)

Overall, I feel the matchup is still in Valkenhayn's favour. Not by a ridiculous amount though, there is a lot to look out for and you need to play a very meticulous neutral game.

Edited November 17, 2013 by Stellarcircle5

[Kiba]

Nice, valid points. Thank you.