Digital Watches

Yeah, but 2H is a shitty meaty if they can stagger unless you get the pullback, which is WAY past the FRC.

Heh. As far as Jam and Dizzy go, there are even more ridiculous things you can do to Dizzy (TKB -> j.H, j.D, Bomber -> (j.D, Bomber) x 3, rensen, 2 for 316 damage), And Jam I don't think you can knock down without a K at the end of the last rep instead of a D. By Kokuu extravaganza, do you mean something like IAD crossup Kokuu, FRC, Kokuu, FRC, land, 6K, 2S, j.H, j.D, Kokuu, (FRC), airdash, j.D, Kokuu (frc) Kokuu? Because that'll earn you a dollar from stormlocke.

Oh, and I like the ID, but I have a feeling the kokuu one won't work on light characters or ones with small hitboxes. Besides, 5D --> j.D, j.D, jc Bomber is too good already (and doesn't cost meter). Also: Nostalgia for pre-AC combo: Any launch (or AA into) 2S (1), 6K (1), TK FB, airdash, bomber. Not bad damage, and you get to practice up your oldschool BLoop skills. Bonus points if you can repeat the 2S 6K FB as a rollercoaster combo (Which I haven't tried, so I'm not sure it's possible). EDIT: So far, it seems 2S (1) 6K (1) FB is techable after like... 10 hits by most characters. However, you can still do 6K (1), FB, Bomber for at least one more rep. (on slayer) EDIT2: You can even do combo into rensen (FRC), run, 2S (1), 6K (1), TKFB, run, c.S, TKFB! It's like the old days!

Actually, I've recently revised my studies to show that the Ky/Eddie/Millia/Venom variant BLoop is possible on Sol. While the combo Gerver does is easier (and actually does more damage than the one in the vid (Not by a lot)) this variant (TKB -> c.S, j.D, Bomber -> TKB -> (2S, j.D, Bomber) x2, rensen, 2 is superior, clocking in at about 260, which is ten damage higher and still knocks down. EDIT: I just got the Zappa/Axl version to work. TKB -> c.S, j.D, Bomber -> (j.D, Bomber) x 2 -> 2S, j.D, Bomber, Rensen, 2 (264)

Er. You can't get that from midscreen, only about halfway from matchstart to the corner, and from that distance, you can easily get a BLoop for no more meter, even if you have to rensen (FRC) IAD bomber to start it.

Dude, meaties ARE risks. Go for one of those when your opponent has a VV or super packed and you get yourself counterhit. Granted, that's one fine school of thought. I just personally think every wakeup is a risk, so it's better to get the most damage possible if you can so you have to win less situations. The risk-reward on oki Kokuu is actually pretty good. Confirming the CH shouldn't be incredibly hard, just watch for the opponent to do a move. If they don't, it's not going to be CH. You don't have to wait for the hit to know. Meanwhile, blocked Kokuu should be mixup. Land and throw or do something else from the air. The only time you should worry about FDing down is if you whiff or get reversaled when your Kokuu happens. True. This stuff is good, I only don't do it because it doesn't really fit my playstyle and I like other options better. This is a great option if you're playing conservative. The risk there is that 2P is very vulnerable. Honestly, there are so many ways to get them out of the corner, I wouldn't bother with that except as a high-low most of the time.

Er... do you understand what it is though? It's a free test for invincible moves which, if done right, can allow you to block in one frame after it would have hit, meaning you get to block any reversal in the game. I really don't see the downside, nor do I see how Axl has other meaties that can do that to, for example, VV.

You get a bit more damage, and the probability is as good as you make it by using it in varied situations. Not very without the FRC, but what you want to do with Kokuu is try to bait a move with a hitbox and nab it with the projectile. Either that or just plain cross up. If you think they'll block it, you shouldn't try it (Although you can mix up from a block+FRC) I think you can at max range, but again, it's better to go for situations where you think you'll hit. But this move is gold in certain matchups. It's the only true zoning tool Axl has, and it can be a very potent "Get out of my sky" move when you're forced to fight air-to-air. I like it over j.6P in most situations, although that move has the benefit of being faster. Yeah, you can mess with it. Go for things like jump over Kokuu, airdash forward Kokuu, Jump forward airdash back Kokuu (Vary whether it crosses up on both of these last ones) (Note, don't try this stuff too much unless it's oki.)

I think he means hitting with the benten, as it's not a terrible tickthrow setup. Also, unless they have godly reversal timing, something invincible on F1, and predict the sweep, you don't have a whole lot to worry about there. Heh. You may be overestimating it a bit to say sentinel-magneto scary. Empty IAD is SUPER risky as they definitely recover way before the throw, but I do it occasionally. Just watch out. Anyway, IAD after rensen FRC is better against tall characters, but don't underestimate just running! Getting guardbar is easier on the ground, and real blockstrings are character-universal on the ground.

H'okay: A few things I gotta clear up: 1. I tried the magical Kokuu-with-no-FRC combo, and I really didn't know that worked, and it's REALLY cool, actually. However, you can get a BLoop for more damage and knockdown from farther from the corner as well as that close, so it kind of is inevitably going to be a flashiness combo rather than a useful one. 2. I don't see why people try so hard with meaty Rasho. I'll say it again, it's NOT THAT USEFUL. If you're too far away from the corner and don't have meter, and really rule at running Rashou, you can get one off midscreen, but if you can't do that, don't bother with it ever. 3. Yeah, Rashou counterhit combos are basically just AA combos, but you have a million years sometimes so you can do something cool like start with c.S. 4. The combos in that video are the most damaging you can get... Meterless. A lot of them don't work from anything but a bomber in the corner, but what you can learn from that video is that there are a lot of kinds of reps you can throw in, and standard 2S, j.D, Bomber is the LEAST damaging possible. From experience, you can get an idea of when you can get away with c.S, j.D, Bomber (Usually at the beginning of combos), j.D, Bomber, or even TK bomber or j.H, j.D, Bomber. I could probably go around and figure out the best loop on every character for every setup, which I might if I get really bored, but it's better to just keep the loose concepts in mind. To answer your question, Gerver, those loops do about 230-250 damage on average, adding up to as high as the low-mid three hundreds on some character (Chipp, Dizzy, etc.). You can know some character specific hitbox stuff to figure out what will and won't work, like, for example, Jam is really tall falling, but not very wide. Slayer is wider than usual, Testament and Dizzy are different kinds of HUEG in the air, Johnny is big and fat, etc. Also, how many hits you are into the combo affects what's techable, and how low you are when you do your bomber affects what you can do afterward (Also, the higher you are, the higher they bounce) 5. I don't see that bridget combo as especially practical, but it does almost if not equal damage to a BLoop, so I guess go for it if you can get it. 6. I don't see the point of a finite list of combos other than some basics, but if you guys want to, I won't take it down or anything.

Not terrible, but I think the pros of a strong BLoop (More damage, corner, crossup/oki possibility) far outweigh meaty Rashou in every case except ABA. That's some combo-vid shit. If you're spending that much meter, you'd better be getting them to the corner or showing off. I'mna again say that if you have the corner, don't bother with benten H. You lose your oki crossup, you do less damage, and it's less guaranteed to knock down. Come on! I'll give you that it's flashy... Eh, while the backwards 6P is easier to confirm, I think a 5K is more reliable as a whole to cross under with. Er... how are you getting two Raeis in a row like that? Impossible dust from Kokuu is something I've worked on extensively, and I'd be shocked if you came up with something: The move simply won't hit soon enough and low enough off a dust to do anything from. I really don't see the point of comboing into Raei in most situations, unless it's a corner push, and then there are usually better ways. I honestly think you can have the best of both worlds. Almost all of Axl's huge damage combos end in knockdown. I'm big on meaties too, but reversals are a danger. Also, why not bait throws with jump-Kokuu or sliding 2K? Slide 2K is safer, Kokuu is more reward for a counterhit. Also, I'm going to merge all your consecutive posts. Please edit rather than doubleposting, unless the posts are chronologically rather far apart.

Thanks for the contribution, but it's all covered here. I am curious, however, as to why you advocate j.D (Landing recovery) over j.H/S from slide to keep up the combo, and also why 6K (tons of startup) would be better than just 2S or 5K-2S.

I say man up and get your combos/blockstrings down pat. There's no reliable fancy trick to learning them, just practice until it works.

Wait, there are vids up from Evo? Where?

I've actually wondered about that myself. Some of my past theories include: -Additional sprites are for blocking higher level moves -The sprite is a tacit way to show that your blockstring wasn't a real blockstring (Meaning the sprite changes when you go back to neutral then start blocking again). -It's completely aesthetic.

Uh, how'd'ya figure, sportsfan? EDIT: Alright, I talked to Stark and he clarified. There is hitstop on Rensen, but it's projectile hitstop. Also, I rechecked my recording-based testing on the matter and it turns out it can all be explained by spacing-related issues screwing with gatling/cancel times. So yeah, hitstop doesn't directly affect the FRC timing on this move. Aye, it's definitely good for muscle memory I suppose.

Rensen FRC is just practice, but since it's a bunch of active frames that happen from a bit before the FRC to way after, it can make the timing vary by distance and whether you hit or not, so practice a few different spacings when you connect, and also practice the FRC when not connecting. For strings, I'd say the rule of thumb would be hold back as soon as humanly possible. If it's something like 3P, 2D, hold 1 right when you hit the punch button. Things that don't involve a forward-input move are much easier, just do 3K, 3D, Rensen or whatever. No need to delay the rensen after the last hit, just do it as soon as possible. Just as a addendum to Stark's comment, hitting 6S at any given time during hitstop won't increase or decrease the time it takes to come out by definition, and therefore the FRC timing will be the same. However, it can vary how quickly you have to input the move, but I wouldn't rely on reacting to hitstop like that, especially since it's going to vary from move to move.

Well, if you do it right they can't, but yeah.

Yeah, the only way he could really catch you on that would be to go for the burst right as you were cancelling into a 6K or a 2S, in which case you couldn't JC in time. However, the Pot would have to really be paying attention, know a lot about Axl, and be damn sure he didn't want to eat that really-not-that-significant-damage combo. If he does it between hits, or as something hits him, you just get a free JC, IB, punish into something that would do much more damage than the whole combo you were just in. Honestly, it might even be good to BAIT bursts.

Besides backdashing, you should probably also watch out for 3P, 63214S, 5S, and specifically against Johnny, maybe even a counter. 5S will reach you no matter what, and is pretty fast. I'm pretty sure your 5S will beat it, but only if you predict it and do it right away. 3P will score a hit if you move or throw something as well, and a counterhit will knock you down or possibly score Axl a combo. I'd actually say 4r5 hit it right on for what you should do: Just sit and watch and counter what he does. There's no reason to get antsy, as Axl actually has more of a chance of fucking Johnny up at match start if you throw something out. Also, don't jump. Seriously. Don't jump.

Well, because it's a combo, not a tech trap.

Lulz. Impractical, flashy, and awesome. Use this in a match, and I will pay you money. 50-hit combo that's possible in a match: Tested on Pot (Pot-only combo): Start at 75% meter c.S, 5P (2), 2S (1), 6K (2), Rensen (FRC), run, 2K, 2S (2), 6K (1), 2S (2), j.D, Bomber, 5P (2), Rensen (FRC), run, 5P (2), (2S (2), 6K (2)) x N until you're at about 36-37 hits, 2S (2), Rensen (FRC), 5P, rensen, 2. I think you can do 5P, rensen (FRC), Rensen, 2 (you build enough meter for it) but I'm not sure, as I was personally unable to do it. Does something like 175-190 damage, knocks down.

That and j.S.

Oh, I typed that wrong (It sounded right in my head!). I meant to say "Even with recording, hitstop could have caused any number of problems." Also, maybe you can jump out of Johnny's dash before you can OD out of it? Maybe you can jump at the same time as you can FD, but the OD can't be done until the end of the dash, or something.

Eh, I don't think it gets rid of jump startup. Recording could have caused any number of problems. Another possibility is that superjumping is different in terms of startup from normal jumping, and that the hitstop caused the game to see your input as a superjump rather than a normal jump. Depending on how quick the input was, maybe the down input and the up input were far enough apart under normal circumstances to not be a superjump, but counted as being inputted faster because the game considered you to have buffered them into the hitstop caused by the move you did beforehand. Does anyone know how fast superjumps start up?