Zeromus_X

I know this is an odd matchup to ask for help in, but how do you punish Arakune's dash? I recently fought an Arakune who would dash and backdash back and forth midscreen, and I couldn't come up with an answer for it. Like, right at the start of the round he would dash forward and back until he got near me.

Apologies if this has been asked before, but does anyone have any tips on getting 5CC after j2C? Sometimes I can get it just by 5C'ing after landing, other times it whiffs; is it height dependent? I see some Rachels in videos whiff a 2A after landing to shorten the recovery of the j2C; but I can't seem to get it consistently with this method. Mostly wondering so I can get that knockdown after say, 6A CH or George hitting in the corner.

I'm not a big fan of the character designs, but I'm sure I'll try it out.

You're right, there is supposed to be an SoD there. My bad again. :v Edited the post.

^My bad. I never corrected that combo, even though I've been using it for a long time. It's definitely essential to get people to stay in the corner. Some corner carry combos I've been using, inspired by some of the combos on the front page. These work from starting position to the corner. If you're closer to the opposite corner, you may have to alter the combo to end with 6C or dash 3C instead. (crouching opponent, midscreen to corner carry combo) (2A) 2B, 2C, 5C, 6C, RC dash 6B, dash 5B, JC jB, jC, j2C, (3C)... (2.5-2.9k, 15MG). Mu doesn't get a whole lot of damage midscreen, but if you have 50 meter you can carry them to the corner with this combo and start the real fun. Inspired by the RC corner carry combo that starts with 5C on the front page. (midscreen to corner carry combo) 6C FC, 5D, 214D, dash 6B, dash 6A, JC j2C, dash 3C, SoD, dash (delayed) 5B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, (dash) 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C (3C)... (5.2k, 49 MG with 3C, can end with super for 6.4k) 6C FC corner carry. Can also work with just naked 214D bomb starter. Made this variation since I couldn't get the one on the front page with "...2C, jB, jC, j2C" to work. You can use "6A JC jC j2C" or "5C 2C JC j2C" at the end for similar heat gain and damage. Transcript of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdqbg2MbhpA 0:00) (corner, Tager onry?) 6C FC, 2[D], 8JC jB, jC, j2C, j2[D] (2[D] hits), 5B, 2C, JC jC, j6[D] (j2[D] hits), JC jC, j2C, j6[D] (j6[D] hits), land 5B, 2C, JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 632146D, dash up jump j2C, 3C, 632146C (8.1k) 0:22) (midscreen) 6C FC, 5[D], JC A+B+C+D, dash 6A, 5[D] (5[D] hits), JC jC, j2C, j[D] (5[D] hits), dash 5C, 6C (j[D] hits), 5[D], JC jC, j2C, 5D, land 6B (5[D] hits), 632146D, 2C, JC j2C, 3C 632146C (8k) 0:44) (midscreen, impractical) j[D], 6[D], airdash cancel j[D], j2[D], land, jump j2C, j4[D], land dash 5B, 5C, 2C, IAD A+B+C+D, 6B, 632146D, dash jump j2C, dash 3C, 632146C (6.9k) 1:04) (midscreen) 6C FC, 5[D], JC A+B+C+D, dash 3C (hits from behind?), 214D, 5D, 214D, 5D, 214D, dash 5D, 214D, 5[D], JC j2C, dash 2B, 6A, JC j2C (5[D] hits), SoD, dash 6C, 6D, 632146D, dash 6C, xD, 632146C (7.8k) 1:28) (midscreen) 6C FC, 5[D], JC A+B+C+D, dash 6A, 5[D] (5[D] hits), JC jC, j2C, j[D] (5[D] hits), dash 6A, 2C, HJC, jC (j[D] hits), JC delayed jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 632146D, 5D, 2D, 214D, jump j2C, 3C, 632146C (9k!!) Dat 214D loop...

Hope he's just subbing her...the last video of Nao I remember was him playing Makoto. I wonder if any Mus will even qualify for SBO...

That's godlike, where did you get the hitboxes? Edit: Oh lol I thought it was 2A at first, I was gonna say daaang.

Whenever I would try to 6C she would always block in time, or the stick hits me on the way down. Maybe my timing is just bad. Also, if you block the first hit of Itsuu C, you can 2B in between the first and second hits to punish even on normal block. I mention this because a lot of the Litchis I've fought recently seem to enjoy using this move on block a lot, and if you block the second hit, it's like +1billion on block.

Lol goddammit you guys. I don't have diabeetus. Late GGs to everyone who went. Hopefully we can arrange some sort of carpool to head over to Ruben's new place every now and then. Wild Vince sighting?! No but seriously did you get to play with Vince after or did you mean someone else... Ugh, I want to go out to Venezia's on Monday again so bad, but I have a night class from 5:30 to 9:00. Infinite sadness.

I can't read. And I can bring a setup + stick. Since you already have my hdmi cable Ruben, haha.

Ruben's today right? What time?

Anyone have any 5CC FC combos yet? Or is 2C just better for punishing? 5CC seems so useless as an FC. =(

These are still bad habits I need to get rid of. Litchi and Tao murder me because they just duck/crawl under jC. And I always autopilot blockstring into 2B 5B...and try to 2B again but nothing comes out lol. Btw, thanks for rooting for me guys. I was so nervous during that OCV, my legs were shaking. I dropped so many combos. Time for patented wall of text. After finally being able to play Mu in a competitive, offline environment, I can see even more now how important Mu's zoning is. I still have bad habits like trying to "get in" without orbs and not playing lame enough which is the main reason I got bodied by Xie in teams. I did a bit better in singles but still lost. In Losers, I fought against Jason D, who said he was unfamiliar with the matchup. I eventually got knocked out by DJNashfan (sp?), a good Tsubaki player whose name I recognize from netplay. I didn't mix up my zoning enough and I kept trying to mash out of her 236C on block like it's CS1; a habit he took advantage of. Regarding the previous discussion of Mu being top 5, I think I can believe it. She has 3 or so very good matchups (Ara/Carl/Tager), with mostly even matchups and some poor ones. But I feel even her "bad" matchups (Hazama) aren't really THAT bad. There's not a character that really makes me feel, "man I can't do anything". I used to think Makoto was really awful but playing some casuals against LK's Makoto changed my mind. You can spam the hell out of HABAYAAA against her (you can't use it enough) and she has a hard time getting past it unless she's already close and dash in 2A's you. LK said something to the effect of "yeah, it hurts when she hits you, but you don't ever have to let her get close to you". Mu can just play lame against the top tier; and rightfully so. That leaves a bunch of even-ish matchups and a few very good ones. And while it isn't directly related to her options or character strength; matchup inexperience against Mu can be used to your advantage in a tournament. Even in Japan, you see about as many Mu as Carl in the videos. The team I OCV'd were actually quite solid players, but they had no matchup experience against her so I got away with a lot of mistakes. Even some of the California regulars I played casuals against said they don't get to play against her that often. I mean, I don't even know what to do against another Mu because I hardly ever play one.

Shoutouts to Matt for driving the AZ group to LA and hardly sleeping the first two days Shoutouts to NOS energy drink for keeping us awake and hype with only ~3 hours of sleep. Shoutouts to Lord Knight for being really cool and answering questions about the game. I learned a lot from our casuals and know what I need to work on now. Shoutouts to everyone I got to play from California and elsewhere. It was awesome to meet people I've only played online and associate faces to the names; I hope to play more of you guys at EVO. Shoutouts to Mori signing my arcade stick and drawing an awesome sketch of Mu on the bottom. Shoutouts to Lorenzo for being so hype in BB grand finals, that he generated three more hype enthusiasts with nothing but pure concentrated hype. Congrats to Satoshi, Omni, Zong, and other top 8 finalists. Shoutouts to Makoto vs Makoto and Dark Phoenix vs Dark Phoenix Grand Finals I only regret not being able to play more casuals with everyone. Offline casuals with players from Cali and elsewhere was easily the highlight of the trip for me. Only one setup for BB/GG on the last day was kind of sad and I don't think I saw one AH setup; one of the monitors on the Aksys table was even taken up with Marvel. Now to return to the shadows of sadlife netplay....

Sooo hot John also got Mori to draw him a picture of Tsubaki's hat (lol) on his stick, but it started to wear off =(

What time are you coming over Jimmy? Later this evening? Guess I better destroy the evidence...

Oh my god....that damage...that hype!!

^I GOT THIS.

Articles on Siliconera by Xie are really good too: http://www.siliconera.com/2011/04/18/how-to-play-arcana-heart-3-part-1-choosing-a-character-arcana/

No advice for this matchup yet? Fought a really good Bang recently (feux_follets) or however it's spelled). Maybe I'm a scrub, but I seem to be having more trouble against Bang than in CS1! Is there anything I can do against a Bang willing to burn TK dnails all day just to get in and kill me before I can do anything? Like, some Bangs will just start off the match straight up TK Dnails and I'm already in a situation where I have to block. His jump cancel/airdash pressure with the crossup kick seems stronger too. Maybe it's because of increased gravity, but I used to have no trouble 2C'ing or just airthrowing him if he tried that in CS1 but now I find myself having to respect it more. I try to play careful and run away a lot against Bang; maybe I'm overcommitting at midrange or just need to improve my neutral more. But this matchup seems really annoying so far; I don't like how easily Bang just waltzes in and stays on me.

If you bait DP: Midscreen - 2C or dash 3C (CH), into combo (2B 6A 6C 214D (w) etc...) Corner - 5C SoD into combo (5k)

corner double jab starter: 2A 2A 2B 3C SoD 5B JC jB jC j2C 3C (~1.7k knockdown) DP CH, RC combo: 623C, RC dash 5B OR 6B 6A JC j2C jD [2B 5C 2C JC j2C...] or [2B 6A JC jC j2C...] (~1.8k knockdown) jAAA air-to-air hitconfirm: jAAA, JC jA, jC, j2C (if you're close to the corner and low enough to the ground, can 3C at the end) 5/2A anti-air: 5A AA CH, 5A (hitconfirm), 6A, JC j2C, dash 2B, 5C, 6C... 2A AA CH, 2A (whiff, confirm), 5B, JC jB, jC, j2C, dash 2B, 5C, 6C... (corner) 5A, 5A, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C (add super for 2.9k) 214D with two or more steins: 2 steins: 214D, 6B, 5C, 2C, 7JC jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A, 6C, 5D, super (4.6/5.8k, 41 MG) 3 steins: same thing (4.4/6k, 41 MG) 4 steins, 214D, 6B, SoD, super (4.2/5.4k, 41 MG)

Messing around in the lab, came up with some silly mixups and other stuff, tell me what you guys think. After combo ending in 3C, 5D... ...IAD jA/B/C/2C ...IAD empty jump 2B/6B/throw ...TK 236A ...jump cancel j2C ...jump cancel j2C, 236A ...jump cancel j2C, RC, airdash jA/B/C or empty jump 2B/6B/throw ...IAD back 236A (bait roll/reversal) 5[D]... ...TK 236A (charge laser hits, go in for mixup) Tager only fuzzy guard?...: 9 jump jA, slight delay jB, jA, 5A, combo...? (can only get 3C knockdown so far) 5D, DP, RC... ...non dash 2B (confirm into combo) ....dash 6B or 6A (confirm into combo) I know it sounds silly, but I think there's potential in this. After 5D, cancel into DP and RC. Need to test it against wakeup reversals but this seems like a good way to get another orb out safely. You can even do this in a blockstring, if you're really close after 2A or 2B. You might be wondering, "why use 50 heat just to get one extra orb out?" Well, Mu gets a retarded reward off a bomb or guard crush so I think it's worth breaking as many guard primers as possible. At the least, even if the DP combo doesn't do much damage, you knock them down with even more steins waiting for them when they get up them closer to guard crush/danger mode if they block or confirm into a high damage combo if they hit. If they block, you can still do a mixup with 2B or 6B and be able to confirm into a combo if the mixup is successful, or go into further pressure if they block with the aid of the placed stein. DP CH, RC combo (if they try to punish 5D): 623C CH, RC dash 5B OR 6B OR non-dash 2B, 6A JC j2C jD [2B 5C 2C JC j2C...] or [2B 6A JC jC j2C...] (~1.8k knockdown) Non-CH, having some difficulty with the same combos but you can still do DP, RC, 5B or 6A jB jC j2C 3C without the additional mixup factor if they block.

Know what combos you can do off of every starter first of all. What you can combo after a low, overhead, throw, airthrow, anti-air, and specific counter-hits/punishes, etc. Learn what combos you can do off of "ideal" starters and ones with more proration. Edit: Ninja'd Then after that, you may have to adjust depending on the situation. Do I want to do the best damaging combo? Or do I want to end in a knockdown? Do I want to carry them closer to the corner? Maybe knock them away and play defensively? Or use a combo that gains more meter? How much meter do I have? What about other resources (like Rachel's wind, Tsubaki's charge, etc.) that can affect the combo? Where am I on the screen? Will I be able to carry them close enough to the corner to do a more damaging variation? And so on and so forth. It really depends on the situation and your playstyle. Once you figure these things out, and get your execution down in training mode, you'll be able to just go into the appropriate combo on the fly.

Remember this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MNkCWoqEsg Well, here's the transcription, now with accurate damage and meter gain! (for the most part) 1.) 0:00 - 0:16 (near corner) 2A, 2B, 2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C (SoD 632146C) (26 MG, 2.8/4k damage) 2.) 0:16 - 0:33 (near corner) 2B, 2C, 5C, SoD, dash 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, jC j2C, 3C [soD 632146C] (3.5/4.7k, 35 MG) 3.) 0:33 - 0:48 (near corner) 6B, SoD, 6A, JC j2C, (dash) 2B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, [soD 632146C] (3.5/4.5k, 35 MG) 4.) 0:48 - 1:07 (near corner, air unblockable) 6A, 2C, JC jC j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C, [soD super] (3.8/5k, 45 MG) 5.) 1:07 - 1:25 (near corner) 2C CH, (dash) 6A JC j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C, [soD super] (3.9/5k, 43 MG) 6.) 1:25 - 1:43 2C CH, dash 6A, JC j2C, dash 2B, 5C, 6C, SoD (slightly charged?), dash 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C, [soD super] (3.7/4.9k, 43 MG) 7.) 1:43 - 1:55 Throw, dash 6A, 5C, 6C, 214D (whiff), dash 6A, 6B, 5C, 6C, xD, JC j2C, jxD... (2.5k/3.6k with "6C, xD, super" ender, 25 MG at 6C) 8.) 1:55 - 2:04 2C CH, dash 6A, JC j2C, dash 2B, 5C, 6C, 214D (whiff), dash 6A, 6B, 5C, 6C, xD, SoD (3k/4.2k with xD super ender, 30 MG, can also work with "...dash 2B, 2C, 6C, 214D (whiff)...") 9.) 2:04 - 2:22 (near corner) 214D (explosion hits), 5C, 6C, SoD, dash 6B, 5C, 2C, JC jC, j2C, j6D, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, 3C, [soD super] (5.4/6.6k, 51 MG!) 10.) 2:22 - 2:30 2A, 2B, 3C, RC, dash 6A, 6C, 214D (whiff), dash 6A, 6B, 5C, 6C, xD, SoD (req. 50 meter, ~2k, 13 MG, can also do "214D (whiff) 2B 5C 6C...") 11.) 3:05 - 3:14 214D (explosion hits) jump, falling jC, j2C, dash 2B, 5C, 6C, 214D (whiff), dash 6A, 6B, 5C, 6C, xD, SoD (3/4k with "xD, super" ender, 38 MG) 12.) 3:16 - 3:25 (near corner) throw, (dash) 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, j[D]... 2.3/3.6k with "3C super" ender instead of j[D], 27 MG) 13.) 3:25 - 3:40 (if they don't tech after above) ...2B, 2C, 6C, 6D (j[D] hits), JC, jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 5C, 2C, JC jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A, super (still untested) 14.) 3:40 - 3:45 (after "whatever...j2C" near corner?) 2B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, j[D]... (~2k?, +2 orbs, incl. one charged orb and corner oki (still untested) 13.) 3:45 -3:59 (if they don't tech after above) ...2B, 5C, 6C, 6D (j[D] hits), JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 214D (2 orbs explode), super (still untested 14.) 3:59 - 4:24 (if they don't block after "...jD...j[D]..." setup) ...5C, SoD (j[D] hits), dash 2C, JC jC, JC jC, j2C, (dash) 2B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C, SoD, super (still untested) 15.) 4:24 - 4:40 (near corner) 214D (explosion hits), 6B, 5C, 2C, JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6C, 6D, JC jB, jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A, super (same as challenge mode? 6k, 50 MG!) 16.) 4:40 - 5:00 (near corner) 214D (explosion hits), SoD (slightly charged), 5C, 6C, 6D, 632146D, dash 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C [soD super] (5.6/7k with SoD super ender, builds 44 MG, 56 meter required to start) 17.) 5:00 - end (near corner?) 6C FC, 5D, 214D (explosion hits), dash 5C, 2C, JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C, [soD super] (6k, 51 MG) Easier high damage FC combos: (near corner) 6C FC, 214D, 5C, 2C, JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A super (5.9/6.9k, builds 63 meter!!) (corner) 6C FC, SoD (can be charged depending on distance), 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A super (6.9k, 51 MG!) (corner) SoD FC, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, 3C, SoD, 6A super (4.5/5.7k, 42 MG at 3C, 45 at SoD, 48 at 6A) Corner tech punish combo ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np3w78Mufq8 ): 2A OR 2B, 2C, JC jC, j2C, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, 3C (3k/4.3k with 2A, 3.3/4.6k with 2B, 40/41 MG) (near corner) 5C starter, SoD, 6A, 6B, 6A, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 5C, 2C, JC j2C, jD, 2B, 6A, JC jC, j2C, [3C] [soD super] (4.6/5.8k, 48 MG!)