[P4AU] Labrys Vs Sho

[Tecta1Eastside]

Please use this thread to discuss and contribute to this matchup. Information will be added to the main post as information comes. Keep in mind that strats will be changed as the game evolves.

The Neutral Game

Long Range: Your Tools vs His Tools

Medium Range: Your Tools vs His Tools

Close Quarters: Your Tools vs His Tools

Offense

Your Offense:

His Offense:

Defense

Your Defense:

His Defense:

Gimmicks and Resets

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Match Summary

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[Rsquared]

Sho

• One of Lab’s harder MUs, particularly at neutral. Minazuki is actually much easier.
  • “Sho just goes in swinging."
• Super jump into j.B vs. j.2C: j.2C delays his timing, making it harder to time the 2B.
  • Be ready to preemptively air-to-air with j.A or j.2B. Or if you're in a really good spacing you can 2C him sometimes. Difficult but possible.
  • His j.B beats your j.B, so don’t rely on j.B; go for j.2B as your air-to-air.
• Neutral: his buttons win in a head-on collision.
  • 5C can catch him at certain angles (straight IAD angles can get anti-aired by 5C, for example).
    • Knives also will be eaten by 5C.
  • Knives are a charge motion, so he’s always backing up or down backing in order to throw them, which is a chance to go in.
  • Chain Knuckle isn’t worth it unless you are calling out a knife.
    • On CH, just pull-in and you’re good, since you have projectile invuln (which ignores the issue of the knife not going away despite hitting Sho).
  • REMEMBER: knives do not go away even if you hit Sho.
  • 5A spacing: 2C will quickly become very annoying, as it goes over Lab 5A.
    • Cannot substitute 2AB.
    • 2B is too slow and too risky to use against 2C because 2B will lose to every other button in Sho's ground moveset.
    • You want to force him out of 2C spacing as much as humanly possible. 5C is your friend.
  • Things like superjump > air dash can be answered with Lab 2C.
  • Bubble occasionally works, but only if knife toss isn’t coming; fast knives will interrupt bubble start-up.
    • You can really only set bubble if he’s backing off (IABD or backjump).
• Throw/throw-tech baits: his bait option is really strong in 2C, but it loses to 1-7-1 since you get a FC air throw.
  • FC air grab near the corner = dead Sho.
• Blockstings
  • NEVER HIT A BUTTON BEFORE HIS SWEEP.
    • Unlike Minazuki’s sweep, Sho’s is gapless even on IB.
  • In general, don’t hit a button. You must be certain that you’re tagging the pressure reset and not a frame trap.
  • Sho's lower damage output allows you to take a risk every so often, but risk/reward.
  • Sho lacks a good overhead to gatling into after his B and C normals so during these strings you can generally safely block low and focus on pressure resets and high-speed movement
• High-speed Movement:
  • If you see the movement and press roll immediately, most of the time, you’ll get out.
• Kara Helmbreaker (j.236C > j.236AB)
  • After 5A.
  • After third hit of auto combo. Can be delayed for 50/50 between Overhead/empty jump low
  • Raw.
  • Technically can also be done after 2C, but this usually goes immediately into empty-jump low.
• Unlike Minazuki, 5A is his only normal that’s jump-cancellable on block.
  • Goes into good damage on hit.
  • Typically, block high after 5A due to the fact that he can’t go into 2A after 5A.
    • Block low again for the sweep!
• On defence: can meterless punish with superjump>air dash>j.2C if timed properly
  • NEVER USE GEARS MIDSCREEN
  • With meter, he can do horrible things to you for using Gears even in the corner.
  • Block strings tend to “accidentally” put him on the other side of you, baiting Gears.
  • Bull is kind of okay.
  • HSM mix-up means he’s out, however.
• Sho's defensive options
  • DP: Cannot be super cancelled in the air so punishes are generally safe to do. Air DP is OH.
  • 214AB: 6 frames, safe on block, good CH starter
  • Both supers would function as a reversal and do good damage
  • GCR and GCA are strong cause of hitbox