Psykotik Posted May 6, 2014 Posted May 6, 2014 (edited) Table of Contents: Introduction Carl 101A: Starting out Neutral Game Offense Blockstrings Okizeme Combos Baiting and Punishing Defense Doll conservation Tricks and Gimmicks Bad/Common Habits [iNFO Credits] - Kiba for letting me use his guides as a template for this one - Kurushii for the header - Pen_Ninja (@Pen7Ninja) for advise and critique of the guide - sinder, wiredgod and all other posters on the Carl board for their help and supporthttps://twitter.com/papapanda/status/446675570248523777https://twitter.com/papapanda/status/445485389407477761[/iNFO] [iNFO Introduction] Welcome to the Carl strategy guide. The aim of this guide will help you get better acquainted with Carl and provide a starting point for those who wish to learn him. Carl is a unique character who fights with his weaponized sister, Nirvana. Although Carl and Nirvana each have a number of flaws that should theoretically result in a weak character, Carl is actually a much stronger character in practice: Carl's strength as a puppet character is the overwhelming offensive and neutral presence that he possesses when he is working in tandem with his sister to control the match. Proficient Carl players will have a solid understanding of his strengths and weaknesses and play the character to take advantage of his strong points while attempting to minimize the overall impact of his flaws. Please be sure to take a look at the:CP System Data GuideCP Carl Wiki | Frame Data[/iNFO] [iNFO Carl 101A: Starting out] Day 1: How do I Ada? Maybe it's because you like characters with high damage output. Maybe it's because you have characters with unrelenting mixup and pressure that leaves no room for the opponent to escape. Maybe it's because you're like me and you have a thing for Miyuki Sawashiro. Maybe it's because you're a closet shotacon. Or maybe you just like fun characters. Whatever the reason it is, you want to pick up this character and can't wait to do all these mind-boggling things that you wouldn't think would be possible in a fighting game. The only problem is that with so many things to learn about Carl, it can be overwhelming to try to find a starting point to this endeavour. A good starting point to learn how to move with Carl. Carl's mobility is somewhat linear but he can mix up his approaches with jump cancelled dashes: by jumping or super jumping the first few frames of the dash, the forward inertia of the dash will transfer to the jump, allowing Carl to cover horizontal distance at a surprisingly quick pace. Mobility is not a terribly complex aspect of his character but it nonetheless important to know how to get from point A to point B in the quickest way possible. The second step would be to learn how to control the doll. The doll can be moved by holding D and a direction. To perform a move, you must do a directional input and then perform a negative edge input with D (that is, release the D button after a motion as opposed to pushing it). Getting a feel for negative edge inputs will augment the learning process considerably. After becoming familiar with the individual control schemes of both Carl and Ada, start practising controlling both characters in tandem. You can do move by practicing combos and blockstrings. Sample combos and blockstrings will be listed in later parts of the guide. Pros: + High damage + Unorthodox neutral game (in some matchups) + Very strong pressure + Wide variety of deceiving yet safe mixups + Smaller hurtbox can cause certain combos to whiff on Carl + Very favourable risk-reward scenarios if doll is alive Cons: - Subpar normals - Clunky mobility - Weak defensive options when Nirvana is not nearby - Tied for lowest life count in the game - Limited safe ways to start pressure without the doll - Borderline worthless character without the doll - High learning curve (this is not directly related to Carl's character strength but is nonetheless an important point to consider for those who are thinking about picking up Carl) Useful Tools: Basic Pokes: 5B, 5C, dashing allegretto (663214C) Anti - Air: 6A Air to Air Pokes: j.B, j.A in some cases Air to ground pokes: j,C High Attacks: all aerial attacks, 6C, 2D Low Attacks: 2A, 2B, 6B, 3C, 3D Neutral Tools: 5B, 5C, 6B, j.214C, 46D, 421D, 623D, 41236D Stronger Starters: j.B/C, 5B, 5C, 3C, 8D, 421D, 46D, 63214D, 623C, 3D [/iNFO] [iNFO Neutral game] The specific strategy for Carl's neutral game will widely vary depending on the match up but the general direction that Carl's neutral will go is that he will stay behind the doll as a sort of defensive position for a good portion of the match. From here, Nirvana can throw out attacks to put neutral pressure on the opponent; 46D, 6D and 421D are all great moves for covering ground space while 8D and 623D cover air space. Since Nirvana's space control tools are very good at preventing most opponents from doing whatever they want for free, Carl will usually want to stay behind the doll for a good portion of the neutral game. Carl can either use his and the doll's neutral tools as a reactionary counter towards an opponent's approach or throw out the moves pre-emptively in an attempt to catch the opponent off-guard. Getting in: Keeping your opponent from getting in: Depending on how the opponent plays the neutral game against you, you may have to modify your neutral plans to suit your needs based on the problem at hand: For opponents who like to charge at you These are the kind of players either who'll make a beeline for Carl or eagerly jump/IAD past the doll to do so. This is theoretically the easiest kind of opponent to deal with if they are being really predictable. If they're running towards the doll, you might be able to catch them with Tenerezza. Alternatively, you can throw out a volante to cover the ground space. If they respond to this by jumping, you can then either anti-air them with 6A or Brio or fight them air-to-air. Dashing and aerial allegretto also work as spatial control tools and you can use B Vivace to slip past IADs if you feel that your spacing is too off to anti-air them. For opponents who like to maneuver around the doll These are the kind of players who will try to get the doll to whiff a move and then go in while it's recovering. The best way to deal with these opponents is to stay somewhat close to Nirvana throw out low recovery moves (Brio, 8D, 46D) in neutral; this will force them to stay fairly close to Nirvana if they want to slip past these moves. Should they try to IAD after a whiffed Brio or 46D, Carl will usually be in the perfect position to anti-air them or intercept with rising j.A. Kagura is about to regret that jump-in For opponents who like to attack/poke the doll The purpose of this strategy is to deny Carl of his main neutral tool by harassing Ada and keep her from doing moves. Provided that the opponent does so with caution, this is usually the hardest kind of opponent to deal with. - 4D - Counter poke - Doll "bait" For opponents who like to use a combination of the former three approaches - Put the three together - Chain reaction - Once calm, go in [/iNFO] Edited June 19, 2014 by Psykotik
Psykotik Posted May 8, 2014 Author Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) Offense Blockstrings This is where Carl shines as a character. Tight: - Pretty much everything? IB gaps: - A into 2B - 2B into 6B - 2B into 3C Gap: - 2B into 5C - j.2C into anything - anything into 6C Universal Blockstrings - 5A, 2A, 5A, 2A, 5B, 2B, 5C, jump cancel, (doll attack), [continue pressure] - 2A, 5B, 6B, 6A, jump cancel, (doll attack), [continue pressure] Note that your opponent must be very close to you for 6A to not whiff - 5A, 5B, 5C, 236A, (doll attack), [continue pressure] - 5A, 2A, 5A, 2A, 5B, 6B, 6D, 6C, [continue pressure] Note that 6C will leave you at 0 on non-IB regular block - 5A, 5B, 2B, 5C, 3C, 236A, (doll attack), [continue pressure] - 5A, 2A, 5A, 2A, 5B, 6B, (doll attack), [continue pressure] Blockstrings against Opponent's Barrier - 5A, 5B, 5C, 236A, (doll attack), [continue pressure] - 2A, 2B, 5B, 5C, jump cancel/IAD, (doll attack), [continue pressure] - 5A, 2A, 5B, 6B, 236A, (doll attack), [continue pressure] Airtight blockstrings (safe on IB) - 5A, 2A, 5A, 2A, 5B, 6B, 236A, doll attack, [continue pressure] - 5A, 2A, 5A, 2A, 5B, 6B, 6A, jump cancel, doll attack, [continue pressure] [Note that you must be very close to the opponent for 6A to not whiff] Frame Traps Carl's strings are usually tight enough to discourage the opponent from mashing. Should you come across a disrespectful player, you can usually create frame traps simply by delaying a doll move that comes after a Carl normal that's negative on block. Some examples include: - 3C into delayed 46D/6D - 6B into delayed 46D/6D - 623C into delayed 46D/6D (not recommended due to Cantabile's low blockstun and lack of options after it) If you're trying to pressure with solo Carl, some of his gattlings can also be used to create frame traps. - 5/2A staggers - 2B into 5C - 3C into slightly delayed 6D/46D - 6B into delayed 6A/2C [Note that you must be very close to the opponent for 6A/2C to not whiff] OkizemeMidscreen - Fuoco - 3D - Volante - 6D - Using 2D - Using 2B Corner - Differences CombosCombo theory Baiting and Punishing DP Baiting and PunishingBurst Baiting + Burst-safes CA Baits Defense Like most FGs, good blocking can get you far in BBCP. Knowing how and then to disrespect the opponent is also a vital part of defense. This especially applies to Carl, who definitely does not want to stay in defensive situations for too long due to his low health. While Carl’s defensive options aren’t as blatantly strong as Kagura’s flashkick or Ragna’s ID, he still has ways to get himself out of trouble should you ever get caught in the opponent’s pressure. Disrespect options One of Carl’s defensive options is his backdash. With 7 frames of invincibility, 15 frames of recovery and a respectable backdash distance, Carl’s backdash is a viable defensive option to use if you want to dodge your opponent’s attacks. It’s a useful option on wakeup, although it also works quite well in their pressure. Just be aware that his backdash is very punishable. Another viable option that Carl has for disrespect is his 6f 5A. Although its reach is rather short, 6f is a respectable speed for a 5A that also hits most crouchers, barring Kokonoe and Taokaka. This makes 6f a good move to use if you want to challenge an opponent’s 2A under appropriate frame (dis)advantages since no 2A in the game is faster than 6f. Against Koko and Tao, you’ll have to make do with his 7f 2A since their 2As low profile the jab. Carl’s CA is probably one of his more consistent defensive options and access to it borders on being a necessity in setplay-heavy matchups such as Kokonoe and Valkenhayn. Since Carl can control the doll immediately after he does a CA, you can combine it with a doll move to cover you if they try to bait it: use 623D for opponents who are jumping to try to make it whiff and 46D for opponents baiting it on the ground. Note that 46D may not be quick enough to catch your opponent if they’re on point with their punishing game. Quickly! Vivace deserves its own subsection because of how different this move is compared to more conventional defensive moves and why it often allows Carl to evade situations that most character can’t. In addition to its projectile invincibility that is shared by both Vivaces, B Vivace has a fairly long period of high + mid invincibility. With that in mind, one of its forms of usage during an opponent’s pressure strings is fairly obvious: find a gap that precedes an opponent’s high/mid move in their string, roll out and do whatever you want to do. You can also use it to dodge jump-ins if you feel that the spacing is too off to use 6A as an anti-air. With that said, the projectile invincibility that both versions of the move offer is one of the more overlooked yet effective properties of Vivace: the projectile invincibility of Vivace allows Carl to get out of DP-safe oki setups that utilise projectile property moves. Examples of this include Amane's drill, Kokonoe's "normal" black hole setups and certain Mu setups. Since Vivace dodges all moves with projectile properties, this allows Carl to dodge moves that you wouldn’t think to try it on using the A version. This includes moves like Litchi’s CT, Kokonoe 5C and Mu 6C, all of which have projectile properties. If you think that an opponent will use those moves in their pressure strings, you can use Vivace A just before they use it to dodge the move and potentially punish them for it. Keep in mind that Vivace A will be beat by every other move without projectile properties so only use it if you’re really sure that they won’t use another move. Otherwise, use Vivace B as a safer alternative: you usually won’t be able to punish moves due to the longer recovery but it dodges more moves and is overall lower risk because of this. Neither version of this move has low or throw invincibility, giving the opponent a very convenient answer to roll-happy Carls. Generally, if the opponent has set up oki and recover quickly enough to throw out a low, you probably should hold back on the Vivaces, especially if you’ve been using them a lot in the match. It goes without saying that this is a tool that must be used sparingly, lest you get punished for misusing it. In the right hands however, it can single handedly destroy an opponent’s offensive gameplan if they’re not prepared for it. Using the doll to disrespect Edited June 19, 2014 by Psykotik
Psykotik Posted May 8, 2014 Author Posted May 8, 2014 (edited) Doll Conservation The doll is important. Very important. So important that the death of Nirvana could lead to a loss in certain matchups. As such, you’ll want to make sure the doll stays alive during the whole match and barring the completion of a combo that’ll close out the round, you should never use Ada to exhaustion. The To D? Or not to D? Generally, you should be more conservative with your meter once you get to around 30% doll life. Mainly because at this point, you’ll still have enough doll meter to maintain the threat of a possible Ada move in neutral as well as a health buffer for any damage Ada might end up taking. With that said, it might be worth burning the doll meter for an action that could potentially yield high rewards (ex. game winning combos, one last fuoco for a game-winning mixup, wakeup tenerezza, etc). OD The quick and easy answer to low doll meter; OD will heal your doll at all times, including when it’s being used, making it a great move to use during doll supers. Naturally, the longer the OD period, the better so if you’re trying to activate OD for the sake of healing Nirvana, try to do a raw activation since you’ll get double the OD period you’d get off an OD cancel. Combos Tricks and Gimmickshmmm Bad/Common HabitsAutopiloting into 623C on block I see this very often with newer Carl players (and sometimes experienced ones as well), where they will autopilot 5B, 6B into 623C regardless of whether or not it actually hits. Since 623C is very, very unsafe on block, it's a very bad idea to do this. Excessive Vivaces Telegraphed resets This is something that I myself admit to doing fairly often. It's quite easy to a Carl player to lapse into a habit of abusing the same setup down to the blockstring against opponents who don't know the matchup. More experienced adversaries who can defend against the setup can often catch you off guard and you may be at a loss on what to do after they defend your setup, which could end up adding a period of stagnancy to your offense, something you definitely don't want. The best way to break this habit is to practice using different setups/resets/blockstrings in casual matches against randoms. Although it's perfectly acceptable to have 1-2 preferred setups, General disregard for doll health j.2C~214C misinputs Edited June 19, 2014 by Psykotik
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