Shadow Labrys is a fairly rare match-up as well as a character who can demolish even the best players if they aren't prepared. What makes Shadow Labrys such a tricky opponent is how easily she can turn the slightest amount of respect into a set-up -- once Shadow Labrys forces you to block, it's simply a matter of a time before she places you in an ugly situation that leads to explosive damage. However, many options Shadow Labrys players use aren't airtight, but very few players are aware of their potential escape options. In order for all players to grow (including those of us who play Shadow Labrys), understanding how Shadow Labrys turns a simple pressure string into a command grab set-up and what you can do to stop her is crucial.
No secrets are being kept hidden! All the information provided is offered in the hope that it inspires you to head to the lab, find answers to Shadow Labrys, and be ready for the match-up. As opponents become stronger at fighting Shadow Labrys, the stronger our Shadow Labrys players become, helping us all.
You can find the guide here (Evernote). If you have any questions, ask away!
The stream will start off with causal sets before diving into a 16-person tournament to determine who has what it takes to achieve South Bay supremacy!
WHAT: All AKSYS! Monthly Invite-only Stream
WHEN: February 21st, 3-7pm PST
WHERE: Jyosua's twitch.tv channel: http://www.twitch.tv/jyosua/
Hello Dustloop,
over the last couple of weeks I have been working on a frame data app for Android.
The App is in its early stages of development but has most of the currently available frame data in it.
It is available on the amazon app store: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?asin=B00RO37Q2G
Update (01/29/15): App is live on Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=anbiapps.ggxrdframetool
Quick note: I am not yet familiar with the Play Store dashboard, expect some hickups (and report any issues here or via pm pls)
The reason I am posting this is that I need a little bit of feedback on how things look & feel.
Hopefully you can enjoy the App
Feel free to request features. I will consider every suggestion.
How to use the Punish Menu:
a) Sol Badguy - 5K - vs Axl Low - All Moves : shows you every move of Axl that can be punished by 5K
b) Sol Badguy - All Moves - vs Axl Low - 5HS : shows you every move of Sol that can punish Axl's 5HS
c) Sol Badguy - 5K - vs Axl Low - 5HS : shows you if Sol's 5K punishes Axl's 5HS
Next Feature: Notes (Character / Matchup)
Update 0.92: (02/12/15)
- Added Leo's frame data
- fixed a typo in ramlethals frame data
Update 0.92 is live on google play / live on amazon app store
Known Issue: -none reported so far (except a few weird symbols when viewing detailed view)
Greetings AnBi2199
Edit: added Screenshots to attachments
View attachment: Screenshot_2015-01-01-12-49-59.png
View attachment: Screenshot_2015-01-01-12-50-10.png
View attachment: Punish-Menu.png
For those not moon-speak inclined, @HiagoXYZ, @hc0519, and @GREATFERNMAN has been hard at work translating the system wide and character specific changes. Be sure to follow your favorite Japanese player's Twitter accounts for their up to date impressions!
Also going down at 10pm EST is the 2nd part of the Kamui (JP Gods) Battle Lobby hosted by Mr. Biscuits. Last week saw Kansai heavyweights (organized by Ruu) such as U-zen, Woshige, Dei, Efute, and Rozu battle it out in a round robin FT3 format, and this week will be more of the same.
This weekend is all about Kantou, and Satou has graciously organized amazing players such as FAB, Fino, Hase, Endou, with the possibility of one more joining. Commentary duties may be done by Zidane & St1ckbug.
Last weeks' footage can be found at Biscuits' Typical East Coast YouTube Channel, and you can of course catch the action live as it is going down on Twitch at http://www.twitch.tv/mr_biscuits.
Updated content from community feedback in Red.
Let's start by noting some unique universal changes I have (re)discovered.
I.
No more throw breaks
This rule mitigates the one sided confrontations of awkward misplaced heavy slashes. An awesome update for unique matchups like Bridget vs RoboKy and your patience vs Jam's unthrowable normal. To beat throws you need to counter poke, use throw invulnerability, backdash, jump or use invincibility. There are still loads of options available. A much needed design change IMO.
No more SB canceling air dashes
I believe this only hurts Chipp Okizeme & May shenanigans. Not a big deal with Chipp's new oki tools anyways. Wonder how it may impact Bridget's FD movement options…
Cannot YRC/RC landing recovery frames
Just a weirdo detail I’ve encountered in training mode.
What have you noticed? Here's a wiki link to increase your knowledge base.
http://www.dustloop.com/wiki/index.php?title=Guilty_Gear_Xrd_-SIGN-
II.
By now everyone is becoming comfortable with basic uses of the new Roman Cancel and Blitz Shield systems.
- High risk/High reward scenarios can be relatively safe with YRC. I'm feeling like this enables Slayer/Bedman play. Always out of reach begging for counter hits. Pilebunker counter-hit; Win. Pilebunker whiff; not so bad. Having moves with invincibility be YRC-Locked shows Team Red put some time into design. I don't particularly want a game all about inexpensive low-risk Volcanic Vipers.
- We now have the ability to cancel all grabs for 50 meter. Great news for a few, huge nerf for others. Buri loves it but Johnny is hurting for example. Unfortunate for characters who rely on additional resources to deal damage.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWJJ8xSIH9E#t=20m46s
III.
I've been playing this game for about a month and I truly enjoy it. Now that I'm beyond the basic gameplay of my character, I have been spending my time analyzing current match videos. So I would like to continue this by listing unique scenarios, talking about the confrontation and finally linking these timestamps.
- Safejump YRC to punish backdash
The concept is you safe jump for your okizeme and then quickly input a YRC (be between 25-49% meter). If they did a reversal w/ an overdrive or a confrontationals move, you will be in blockstun & the YRC is negated. If they did a reversal w/ an escape option the YRC would activate allowing you enough time to punish their movement. I tried a bit in training mode w/ May and could not find a real strong application. Any good setups for other characters?
-Using YRC to punish big whiffs/burst at midscreen when opponent has >25% meter.
Good application I don’t see come up often.
- OptionSelect a Command Grab w/ a YRC
This technique relies on the fact that you cannot Roman cancel the first few animation frame of a command grab. For each command grab executed, you are required to input a quick RC. If the command grab is success the RC will be neglected. If the command grab is unsuccessful, YRC grants the player an opportunity to react to the situation. The answer is usually an air throw. No footage, but Potemkin can do this too.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLR-3_Nzi-s#t=6m35s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz1HLWacWak#t=3m11s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6uugDyN1wo#t=20m50s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-mJbncU43U#t=5m23s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=13m27s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=16m57s
- Option Select a grab w/ a normal ghosted. 6HS+Attack~confirm
This technique is not exclusive to XRD. However I do see it under utilize. This is covered in mission mode! I want to take a moment and show people the strength of this tool. The exact details to execute is strictly characters dependent. The concept is based on button priority and normal grabs not having a whiff animation. By inputting 6HS plus any attack button weaker than HS, that 6+unique button will execute during any unsuccessful grab. Now you can ghost-input sequential chains or a special to help you confirm if the 6+ unique attack does connect.
Sol Example: 66, 4P+K, 6K+HS~6P, Confirm. A successful grab is a success. An unsuccessful grab turns into a chain of K, 6P, most likely confirming a ground to air combo in contrast to a whiffed 4HS or 6HS.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQIDYw3k72E#t=6m50s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=17m20s
http://www.dustloop.com/forums/index.php?/page/index.html/_/home/zero-frame-whiplash-throws-in-guilty-gear-r469
- Reacting to opponents Burst w/ a YRC (while you are mid-combo)
Sometimes we have a hard read on the opponent but not much opportunity to call out a burst during our damage routes. (No jump cancel, Reverse chain etc. ) because the YRC restriction is dependent on the opponent state we now have the ability to YRC as soon as the enemy burst. If you are making a hard read you can execute any attack then quickly YRC. For example, most heavy attacks can become burst safe within these new parameters.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=47m22s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snq_nnW2UdY#t=19m6s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=8m24s
- YRC's as offensive momentum
The new cancel system offers a “slow” casted on the opponent. Often times, this tool is strong enough to keep your corner advantage or your momentum going long enough to break the opponents guard. It’s better if you can disjoint an attack, but not necessary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=1m51s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=4m53s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=32m40s
- YRC Okizeme
YRC has 6 startup frames then 18f of superflash; freeze frames. Immediately after the freeze your opponent is in a “slow” state. By offensively using YRC on the opponents wake up you are moving their reversal window and altering the timing of their wakeup. Yes, they can still reversal wake up, but in application it is very tough and overall unreliable. If the 18f window overlaps their inputs, the execution is super challenging to complete. Also, you can no longer negative edge reversals! It’s better if you can disjoint an attack, but not necessary.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-mJbncU43U#t=1m3s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuJc_5BgCeo#t=5m55s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=6m51s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdL7IozDsEU#t=10m36s
- YRC splitting an air dash to beat Anti-Airs
Because of the 6F stop and the “slow” casted during a YRC you may now be victorious in air to ground confrontations which you would traditionally have lost. The opponents execution may be “eaten” by the stop frames, or the opponents animation will be sooner than expected. This is good for stuffing 6Ps as their upper-body invulnerability may not be on the frame when you interact.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiU0-C3Kuu0#t=1m16s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=41m27s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=13m21s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=14m43s
- BlitzShield vs Projectiles to gain Invinc frames
Seems there is a unique property to the Blitz system which provides invincibility frames to the defender. This is useful in a scenario where the blitz blowback does not connect against the opponent . Now we have a unique way to deal w/ disjointed offense, Blitz~Throw. I can foresee this very useful against Eddie & Elphet & Gunflame.
Comment from Circuitous: This is covered in Mission Mode but not in great detail. I think it works like Potemkin’s F.D.B. - if you reflect a projectile, you go into a 22f recovery animation that is fully strike invuln. Not sure on BS frame data but I imagine it’s similar. Enough to get through multi-hitting projectiles like Leo’s.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=51m28s
- New “burst safe” routes after a Roman Cancel
The RC system now includes a duration of slowdown against your opponent. This equates to burst having longer startup frames just after your cancel. Some animations are now burst-safe (after a roman cancel) while in previous iterations of Gear, they were considered ideal spots to burst. May’s contribution is RC, Air Dash… what new routes are for your character?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=1h01m28s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LjOAeEtqw#t=57m16s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LjOAeEtqw#t=1h0m0s
- OptionSelect offensive YRC's
This is a super strong tool, used for offense routes which include links or long durations between hits. When your meter is between 25-49%, you can execute a YRC on hit/block and it only activates when the opponent burst. This can be starting or late in a combo! Brainstorming about Ky, I can think of (4) routes this is useful. 6K ~YRC Split Ciel ~YRC Greed Sever ~YRC VaporThrust ~YRC. Which spots work well for your characters offense? on block or hit?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=4m44s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=5m32s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=34m59s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTbeAV94MW0#t=44m03s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo1UyNaedU0#t=4m17s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuJc_5BgCeo#t=8m20s
- Early meter expense for sweet spot of OS-YRC
This tactic relies on combining the last two examples. starting an offense w/ significant meter, it may be advantageous for you to do an early overdrive (may be burst safe) or RC (may have a burst safe route) to setup your OS-YRC route. Making the entirety of damage dealt much more burst resistant
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQIDYw3k72E#t=12m13s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=1m52s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bsOvtfFtlA#t=17m50s
- Backdash, YRC for Instant Overhead Attacks
www.dustloop.com/forums/index.php?/topic/10247-back-dash-hop-yrc-instant-overhead/
- Using YRC to gain Invuln frames from Overdrives
Some Overdrives have invuln frames before the startup animation. It’s possible with Heavenly Pot Buster and Ride the Lightning to YRC them before the startup, granting the invuln frames, but not the meter cost of the Overdrive.
Proof of concept video from VR_Raiden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vK-oQijE5Q
Big ups to GoldenRody and Neojimbe for the video management, as always, thank you guys!
Big THANK YOU to my friends for the proofreading, //JAIS, AlphaKami, Legendary_Circuitous, Ailerus.
Enjoying this iteration,
KyleW
Games List
Blazblue Chronophantasma (PS3) [ 64 Player Limit ]
Guilty Gear Xrd (PS3) [ 64 Player Limit ]
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax (PS3) [ 32 Player Limit ]
Under Night In-birth Exe:late (PS3) [ 32 Player Limit ]
Persona 4 Arena 2 (PS3) [ 32 Player Limit ]
Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code (PC) [ 32 Player Limit ]
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (PS3) [ 64 Player Limit ]
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown (PS3) [ 32 Player Limit ]
Arcana Heart 3 Love Max!!!!! [ 32 Player Limit ]
Location: Bolney Meadow Community Center, 31 Bolney Street, SW8 1EZ Vauxhall London, England UK
Dates: 20th - 22th of March 2015
Venue Fee: £15 for a 3 days advance signup, 20 pound for the 3 days on the door
Tournament Entry Fee: £5
Nearest Tube Station: Vauxhall (Victoria Line/National Rail, Zone 2) and Stockwell (Victoria Line/Northern Line Zone 2)
Further details can be found on the Dustloop Thread and their Website
You can catch the Revolution 2014 playlist here and of course, don't miss that Trailer below!
http://youtu.be/_W8wRtAkulU
The link to all of the information needed on the tournament is here.
Also, you can check out the official Frosty Faustings website here as well.
Stream:
Anime games will be streamed by Nobody_EXE all weekend.
Twitch.tv/nobodyexe
Schedule:
Game and stream schedule is located at: http://frostyfaustings.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FFVII-SCHEDULE.pdf
Apex 2015 in Secaucus, NJ is set to go down as one of the largest Smash tournaments ever! But in addition to the tournament's flagship title, there will also be plenty of main stage action for Ultra Street Fighter IV, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Killer Instinct, and of course Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign-!
Thanks to a partnership with Twitch, there will be a sizable pot bonus for every game, with the broadcasting company throwing in $1500 into the Guilty Gear pot alone!
Stream:
VGBootCamp will be providing all of the Main Stage battles & Top 8 finals for the weekend.
Bifuteki will be featuring all of the other traditional Fighting Games including SFIV, UMvC3, KI, & of course GGxrd.
Stream & Tournament Schedule:
http://www.apex-series.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zZo1cJA.png
DATE
2015 February 21st and 22nd.
GAMES
Main Tournaments
- Ultra Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Xbox 360)
- BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (PS3)
- Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- (PS3)
Side Tournaments
- King of Fighters XIII (PS3)
- Skullgirls Encore (PS3)
- Super Smash Bros (Wii U)
Side tournament format will depend on the number of players. With less than 16 players will be winners/losers brackets. With more than 16 players tournament will be single elimination.
VENUE
The tournament will be held at the Spa La Princesa Hotel, in Alcorcón/Mólstoles (Madrid). The address is as follows:
Ctra. M-506, Km 9 salida Móstoles Centro
28922 MADRID - Alcorcón/Móstoles (Madrid) - España
REGISTRATION
To register follow this LINK
Registration Fees
- Venue: FREE
- Ultra Street Fighter IV: 15 Euros
- Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: 5 Euros
- BlazBlue Chrono Phantasma: 10 Euros
- Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN: 5 Euros
All prices apply for online pre-registration. Emergency on-site registration will have an additional charge of 10 Euros per game.
STREAMING
Armshouse
http://www.twitch.tv/armshouse
Motoken Team
http://es-es.twitch.tv/MotokenTeam
Find further details on their Dustloop Thread and be sure to check out their trailer!
http://youtu.be/DOQXBBHXf54
One-button throws are a fighting game mechanic that dates back to the first fighting game anyone cares about: Street Fighter II. A one-button throw is an unblockable attack that requires you to be within a certain range of your opponent. When they work, they come out fast. In SF2 and GG, they come out in 0 frames. Usually a one-button throw is done by hitting a specific attack button and holding either backward or forward. This means that if you’re unable to throw and attempt one, you get whatever attack is usually bound to that button instead.
There’s another kind of throw called a command grab, which is similar in many ways. Like a one-button throw, a command grab is an unblockable attack. Unlike a one-button throw, a command grab has a startup animation and a whiff animation. If attempted, a command grab will always start up, and if it fails to connect with the opponent for any reason, the command grab’s whiff animation happens.
Notably, both of these mechanics have several limitations that prevent them from being too strong. Hitstun, blockstun, and jump startup animations are all invulnerable to throws. In most games, there’s even a window, usually between 4 and 7 frames, where this invulnerability persists after the opponent leaves blockstun, hitstun, or knockdown state. This has an important implication: If you're coming out of these states, and the opponent can throw you, you can always throw them (Assuming you've got the same throw range as them)
Many fighting games made recently have opted not to include one-button throws, most of them include a universal command grab instead as their throw mechanic, usually done by hitting two buttons. Notable examples include SFIII, SFIV, P4U, BlazBlue, Melty Blood, and UNIEL. Like a command grab, throws in these games have startup and a whiff animation, so they can happen whether they succeed in hitting the opponent or not.
A lot of people playing Guilty Gear for the first time are having trouble adjusting to a game with one-button throws. That’s understandable, it’s a whole new system mechanic to play with, and a game with one-button throws in it is a pretty different experience from a game without them. But if you’re going to be playing Guilty Gear, you’re going to have to learn it. There’s just no getting around it, because one-button throws are the core mechanic of Guilty Gear.
I’ll repeat that because it’s important.
One-button throws are the core mechanic of Guilty Gear.
In Guilty Gear, you throw by pressing forward or backward and the hard slash button (this command is commonly abbreviated 6H or 4H). You have a ground throw and an air-throw, which can only be used against grounded and aerial opponents respectively. The entire game is built around throws. Every single character’s throw either knocks down or leads into a combo, sometimes with the option to do either. Since it’s 0 frames, it constitutes a universal reversal option and a universal punish at -1 for the entire cast.
Every single strong Guilty Gear player has their throws on point. If you run into throw range on wake-up, you will be thrown. If your block-string gives them a frame to act and you’re on top of their face, you will be thrown. If you dance around in the air on their wakeup, you will be airthrown. If you’re in throw range and they’re neutral for even a single frame, you will be thrown. If they don’t throw you, it’s often because they have a better punish for what you’re doing.
The designers of Guilty Gear are thinking about throws first and foremost in nearly every decision they make. A ton of moves have throw-invulnerability and no strike-invulnerability compared to nearly every other fighting game. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some other mechanics:
Gatling cancels: If your normal gets blocked, you can cancel it into another normal so you don’t get thrown for being at frame disadvantage. If you chain enough attacks together, you can even push yourself out of throw range.
Instant Block: Be holding a neutral direction within 7 frames of blocking an attack. Reduces blockstun, reduces pushback. This is a crucial tool that has a very important function - Getting a throw while you’re being pressured. Instant blocking can make a weak punish into a strong punish, but it can also get you a punish in what would normally be a blockstring, because all you need is one frame and to be in throw range.
Faultless Defense: Hold two buttons while blocking an attack. This increases both blockstun and pushback, as well as reducing chip damage and letting you block some attacks in the air. Not only can you sometimes push an opponent out of throw range when blocking their tick, but even when they won’t be pushed out enough, you’re still putting yourself in additional blockstun, messing up their timing for the throw.
Air Dashes and Double Jumps: Because of these air movement options, you can change the arc of your jump, making your position in space less predictable so you’re harder to throw.
While these mechanics are obviously useful for a lot of other situations, throws are always there, lurking in the background, influencing every design decision made in this game. They’re the hidden force that holds the whole game together, and it makes it a fun, dirty game that feels different from any other fighting game out there, where every situation can turn around, and a subtle read can upend your entire game plan in an instant. Burst may have been Guilty Gear’s biggest innovation, and hard knockdown may be the most important design choice in Guilty Gear, but throws, more than any other factor, make Guilty Gear’s system mechanics what they are.
Which brings me to another important mechanic in Guilty Gear: Throw option selects. Arc put a lot of thought into throw option selects in this game, as evidenced by the ones they’ve prevented from existing: You can’t option select FD and throw, and you can’t airthrow after airdashing either. What you can do is choose what standing normal you get if a throw doesn’t come out.
To option select with another normal. press 6H+Any other button (Whichever you want to use) simultaneously. Note that because you can’t throw OS with FD, you can’t option select a backwards throw attempt at all. Most characters’ normals were designed with this in mind. This effectively means you have five throws, which are, for many characters, all different guesses about how your opponent will try to avoid your throw.
5H (When you can’t OS): 5H is a close-range move for every character. This is because it’s the only normal you can get if you attempt to backthrow. Backthrows are inherently more risky, because you only cover the options your normal hard slash covers if your throw is made to fai.
6H (When you don’t OS): Most 6Hes in the game were clearly designed to punish a backdash from throw range: They tend to reach pretty far, be either long hitboxes or have forward momentum, and have pretty bad startup for contesting other normals. Zato’s is weird because its hitbox is more about punishing jump back, but it’ll still tag some of the backdashes that don’t travel as far. If you call out that they’ll either get thrown or backdash, this is often your best option to tag them with (Although many characters can tag a backdash with their far slash, too)
6P: Every character has a 6P that’s upper-body invulnerable, though the startups, hitboxes, and properties of these moves vary a lot (But never as fast as a jab). For some characters it’s a good way to beat out pokes and for some characters it’s an extremely strong anti-air. It’s also important that it’s bound to P. A throw option-select with jab would probably be a little too strong.
Close slash/Far slash: This mechanic is obviously made to work with throw OSes. Most far slashes are your character’s quickest long-range poke, which covers the situation where you get FD’d out of throw range. A lot of close slashes are either a character’s best normal (In terms of startup versus blockstun) or a strong anti-air. Since jump and FD are two strong options against tick throws, this covers a lot of ground, but since it’s slash, it definitely won’t beat a jab.
6K: A lot of characters have a 6K so that they can’t OS with their 5K. 6Ks aren’t standardized and have a lot of disparate properties. Some are overheads, some are throw-invulnerable, some are just strange attacks. Characters without a 6K have an option select with their 5K, which is often a pretty strong option-select because 5Ks tend to be fast.
Another notable throw OS is Gold Burst. If you hit 4H+D or 6H+D and burst is available, you’ll get a throw if the opponent is throwable and a gold burst if the opponent isn’t. Since gold bursts are invincible and get you full meter for hitting with them, this can be a good callout for a lot of ways out of throws, though remember that bursts are throwable themselves.
The choice to use throw option-selects seems to have been made for a number of reasons. For one thing, it makes life easier for people who haven’t mastered their throw timing yet, either in general or in a particular matchup. Getting stuck in a huge move because you aren’t used to a 1F timing in an opponent’s string is a very punishing outcome for trying to use a mechanic the game designers expect you to use as your go-to fastest attack, and pressing two buttons isn’t very hard.
But even at the highest level, there are far too many options and far too many situations resulting from throw attempts to cover without an option select. Since this game has one-button throws instead of a command grab, throw option selects give you control over what attack constitutes the “whiff animation” for your throw, making a choice so you can guess what your opponent will attempt to do to get out of your throw.
I’m hoping that gives you a good idea of how throws work in Guilty Gear, and why they’re so important. Since so many of the game’s moves and system mechaniscs were designed around working with one-button throws, you can form a good fundamental basis for playing the game by thinking about when to throw, how to throw, when your opponent can throw, and how to avoid throws. All other aspects of neutral, offense, and defense tactics layer nicely on top of this basis. Thanks for reading, and praise be!
(Shoutouts to Mynus, Contra, and Amadeous for some helpful suggestions and editing)
