The Blueprint

[niggajesus]

This was originally going to be part of the Axl Bible, but I felt that it was more appropriate in here as it applies to all characters. Free free to post anything relevant, or any comments you have.

Instead of telling you to do this or do that, this is all about creating a mental blueprint of how your character should play. There are so much good things that each character can do, I could tell you to use tech traps with Axl and show you some advanced mixup or something, but I'd rather explain a few basic principles that will automatically instill all of those good things into you game.

This won't be a read-once-and-stop type thread, and I hope there will be enough value in this so that you can keep coming back to it and learning new information. That's what's awesome about using principles rather than specific techniques - they are loose concepts that can be used any way you like and create a strong foundation you can build on.

*Dominance and Pacing

Seriously, it seems as if people have sweat and even died trying to keep this information from the public; theres been pixelated blood shed and many grams of marijuana smoked in the effort to resolve this issue. You wanna know what the secret strats are? You really wanna know? Ok... Walk forward. Really. Just walk forward. Don't dash or dodge, none of that pussy shit, just walk slowly. Don't dodge projectiles, instead walk up to them and IB.

The point behind this is control - the underlying principle that decides who wins and who loses. The next time you're in a match, simply take notice of how freely you're able to move. The more freedom you have, the less freedom your opponent has.

The player who is in control of the match is the player who is the least restrained.

Walking isn't just about control, but it is a good indicator of how much control you actually have in your matches. Walking is a great way to gain tension, puts pressure on your opponent, and also conditions you to play effective as hell.

I'm not saying you should feel like following this to the t, it's just that walking forward and IB'ing go great together. It's about noticing any flaws in your game that you didn't notice before, so you can grow at the fastest rate possible.

*Tension

Putting tension and control together forms the most synergistic type shit. If you own the map, then you're building tension, limiting your enemy's options, and limiting their tension. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer until someone breaks the cycle. It's obviously not as black and white as it sounds here, nor is it unstoppable, it's just a great ideal. Most of the information in this thread are just ideals to strive for, to paint you a mental picture, if you will.

Minimize your opponents tension and maximize yours.

~Axl Bible I-I

Simple. Everything that costs tension in this game, with the exception of DAA, halts tension gain for a few seconds. You want your opponent to use faultless defense as much as possible; there's a few ways to do this. You can use tech-traps, you can use AA, you can bait moves that leave them open if they don't RC, and you can even use long intricate blockstrings that force them to be on the defensive for a long time unless they FD out of it.

I'm sure here's a lot of good information on tension efficiency and other relevant stuff that someone wants to share, and you're free to do that in here, post away. Most of it will probably be character specific, and that's great.

*The Blueprint

All I want you to do here is imagine your character being played at their fullest potential. Perhaps even beyond the skill level that they're played in tournaments, it really doesn't matter.

How is that character being played, and how does it look different than how you're playing now? Notice how you envision them moving, their movement patterns. Are they in a frenzy or are they playing safe?

The "skill" of the player isn't even what is important, it's the way they play that is. The "style" that they play with is your ideal "style," because this image is just a projection in your mind. Everyone has a different idea of the perfect player, it's a personal thing, all I'm saying is to strive for it.

Do you think "control" really exists? I don't think it does. It's all in our heads.

If you've IADed twice, and punished on both of those attempts, how do you react? Probably more cautiously, right? Well, how you do know that they're going to punish your next attempt? It's all just a projection on what you think is going to happen. Doesn't mean it will happen, and it doesn't mean it won't. If you feel that you're limited in the match, then you will be limited. You'll play as if there were limits on you. In reality there is no limits, only the action you take and the reaction that creates.

That mental image I asked you to make... That's is how you'll play, if you do strive for it. You've created the blueprint to get there already. The thing is, that blueprint will change as you progress.

If you've got a mental image of you losing all of the time, then that is a blueprint that you're striving towards as well, so just be positive and have fun.

Do not question the process. You think the blueprint is bullshit? All I'm saying is to put that skepticism aside and let the process flow freely. Don't force shit, just play with that mental portrait you painted.

[Blade]

In a perfect match, nobody'd win because everything would be either offset, frame wiffed, or Slashbacked. 00 Timeup on the clock.

[rtl42]

supers don't freeze your tension rate, btw.

[Blade]

supers don't freeze your tension rate, btw.

This is doubly useful for stuff like Forcebreak Overdrives if you time it right.

[bucklemyshoe]

Don't dodge projectiles, instead walk up to them and IB.

Not sure if you're aware but some characters entire game plan is to make you block a projectile. Even instant blocking won't have enough effect to change the outcome.

IE I-No's note.

[AtTheGates]

this thread reminds of the thread where i got my signature from.

[whytesakura]

lolz.all he is saying that gg is all mind games.

[Digital Watches]

Not sure if you're aware but some characters entire game plan is to make you block a projectile. Even instant blocking won't have enough effect to change the outcome.

IE I-No's note.

I dunno about "entire gameplan."

[Hintalove]

Ino or eddie come to mind. Not to mention characters like johnny/ky/sol/zappa. Stuff like full screen stun edges, sure IB them. But jumping out of the way of a gf or ghost is going to always be to your advantage, especially in the zappa situation because his ghosts come back faster if they are blocked vs whiffing.