LordSpectreX

Amazing vid Skye, I nearly got it down. So thanks for that.

I said it's free j.4B pressure as long as you're not predictable with it. Her anti air and backdash aren't quick or verstile enough to do it just every time you jump. She has to time it correctly. What does that mean? What do you think Lambda should do in that situation then. Let me repeat, you can punish swords on REACTION with FoG. Saying that doesn't bother her is insane. Even if she has to change her playstyle, it's still effecting her.

CS2 Talk. I don't know how others find this matchup, but I feel it's a lot easier to CS1. Arakune seems to get in a lot easier, and some of Lambda's nerfs actually make Arakune's pressure really amazing against her. +The J.6D drive almost goes fullscreen now, which is really good if Lambda thinks she can throw out swords fullscreen and turtle. +J.B is stronger in it's own way, making it even more useful against Lambda air to ground. +Lambda lost her DP (sure, it was a poor man's DP, but a DP nonetheless), and the IB nerf means that Arakune can really do stuff he couldn't do against many other characters. As long as you're not too predictable, you can IAD J.4B all you want, and you can apply pressure/overhead without much trouble. She can anti air with 6A, but it's not that amazing. 2D can also act as a very powerful anti-air, but it's slow. 2D is kinda like Arakune's 5C, if you think of it like that. During Curse, Lambda is one of the most helpless characters. Since all she has is her DP super and her CA. Combine that with her lack of pokes, and you can really do some resets and pressure without much care in the world, as long as you have bugs covering you. +Forward dash makes it easier to pressure, and despite it's nerf, Backdash is still good enough to get out of Lambda's pressure fairly easily. +Bell Bug was generally useless in CS1, now, it makes her cautious making dashing forward fullscreen to hit you with a projectile, this severly limiting her zoning range. +And the biggest plus, FoG. As Skye says, it makes the floor like lava. But it's very bad for Lambda, since A) Her zoning is ground based, and B) You can use FoG on REACTION to a sword, and the sword will go through Arakune (if it was going to hit) and you get 100% curse. If Lambda does that, punish her. If she jumps around and starts approaching you. Then keep the 50% meter until the very end if needed, since just the threat of FoG hurts Lambda a lot. A negative though is that Lambda seems to get very high damage if she gets the right starter. Even midscreen. It's the kind of matchup, IMO, that if you play it right, like Barrier Block air unblockables, be evasive, use fakeouts properly, etc, then Arakune has a much easier time with this matchup than CS1. Though if you don't play carefully, you might as well be playing CT. Anyway, that's my thoughts on the matchups. Any different views?

Long post. I won't lie to you, I didn't read most it, just some of the beginning and the end. Maybe you don't understand my post either. Let me repeat it for you. "This isn't the place to discuss it." I love how you just want to believe that when I said his tools have changed, they had gotten worse. I never said that his tools changing makes him a worse character. The point about the tools changing was a point meaning that the Noel matchup may have to play in different ways. For example, in CS1, you can get away with quite a bit of zoning. However, now that the clouds are faster but don't last as long, they'd be better for cover while attacking. Likewise, the new Bell Bug position may encourage keeping Noel fullscreen so you can move in safely, instead of using it as a defensive tool. And how exactly have I not changed since Gamefaqs? All I basically do on this forum is ask general positions. Better than trying to argue with people over stuff they didn't say. I rarely then give my own opinion outside my experiences with a matchup or giving some advice. "Wannabe DividedXZero". Well, let's see at EVO, shall we? Like I care about what the Gamefaqs community thinks about me anyway. Now, are you actually going to make a post in this thread about the Noel matchup or are you going to continue bugging me over the semantics about Arakune being worse or not? Cause if it's the latter, PM me, or just don't bother at all, cause I won't be reading it. Edit: Sorry, Skye, didn't see your post before I started writing.

Sorry, I get it's a difficult big word that is hard to understand. Changed. Let me help you. Changed is when something is different somehow. Bell Bug goes further. Cloud doesn't last as long. J.D has different spawn locations. Curse does less damage. D Bug goes down faster. His backdash is slower. His forward-dash is faster etc. I kid. You're alright. Edit: But seriously, Arakune is worse now. But this isn't the place to discuss it.

I find zoning doesnt work at all. Her 3C goes under A Lob on reaction, and 6B can't hit it. Plus, any attack that can hit it, has terrible range. Under? Sorry, I meant A Lob doesn't even exist against 3C.

Is it me or is 5A after using J.4B on a crouching Bang REALLY hard to connect?

How exactly does the 6DB>(Release 6ACD) part work?

Oh, guess I should try delaying it more. Thanks.

Huh I see. Another thing for the update. Regarding the Bell Bug Unblockable. If they don't tech, how can you punish it? I mean, the unblockable is so glaringly obvious when it's being setup, so I find most people don't tech, how can that be punished?

Not to mention that Arakune tools have changed as well.

I don't see how the CA can be baited with jC and fakeout setups when those setups require you to use 3A. They CA the 3A, they get out of the setup for free.

Here's a tip. If Arakune is right next to you when you do a CA, backdash. You're now in a bug blind spot. And you wonder why he doesn't do guard primer breaking then? If he did, he wouldn't have many ways to deal with the CA. Since all of Arakune's guard primer moves require commitment, D Bug, or have a long recovery time. Err...have we fought?

Regarding 3A>214ACD. Is there a way to actually mix this up like 3A>3A>214CD?

Thanks Skye, I thought the matchup would be something like that. I find myself just superjumping and flying around as insanely as possible to be unpredictable. (Though that's how I feel a lot of matchups go with CS2 Ara, but oh well.) Again, the problem with breaking the primers is the Counter Assualt. It's a Get-Out-Of-Curse for free card. If she uses it near the end of curse, she can just use it and likely put you in the corner by the time curse ends. Sure, it worked in CS1 again. But now the reward for a well timed CA is much higher. Not only does Noel have the best tool in the game for wasting curse, but her drives force Ara to be cautious. And she's one of the fastest characters in the game. Breaking the guard primers also means that you pretty much won't get a chance for a reset. If you 2C the guard crush, you'd get around 4.5k with the curse you have left my then.

What parts of her drive are backdashable? I've tried IBing lots of different ones but I always seem to have little success. Especially since I'll end up eating 5K for my troubles. During Curse, I understand going into pressure quickly, but that's difficult when most setups rely on 3A>3A. Not to mention that they can Dead Angle the attack you used to get in anyway. Plus, if you don't use an attack, they'll be able to drive through the bug pressure. You have to keep up the pressure, but then they can just Dead Angle.

Anyone have any advice about the CS2 version of this matchup? I'm finding it nearly incredibly difficult. Moreso than any other character. Backdash sucks so much now. Half the time I IB and use it, I end up getting hit anyway, so I don't bother with it. Her mixup still isn't scary, but because I'm so worried about getting hit by pretty much any move that all lead to 4K+ w/oki. Zoning is too risky cause her optic barrels can snipe bell bug attempts. And she can punish clouds easily by running in quickly. She has loads of tick grab setups, her airthrow grabs from behind her; and both lead to high damage. J.B trades with EVERYTHING. 6A, her drives. 6C. Even from an IAD. Mixup is pointless and risky cause she can just Drive through any mixup you attempt. Even in Curse, it's a struggle. Her moves have invincibilty, so you have to be cautious going in. She's fast, meaning she can avoid lockdown for some time. Her Dead Angle practically destroys any curse pressure, and I have to go through the whole process of lockdown and mixup again. Then, if she gets a single hit in, she's wastes my whole curse. I can't see this matchup from my experience being any less than 3.5-6.5. She outclasses Arakune in every aspect, even damage output. Her air to ground sucks, but you always have to be careful of J.D and Arakune has no real anti airs against any decent Noels.

What are the chances that the pools for BB will be on the Saturday?

Good stuff. So that A Bug Crossup is a faster version. That's good to know. I'll be taking any information on board and make a big edit when I feel there's enough new info. I know it's not like super expert or revolutionary, but I see that a lot of questions in the Q&A thread are cursed based, so maybe this will help newbies.

Is it possible then to do J.3ABC, 5C, j.C > DD > RC > J.B? The problem with 6B is that it seems really unreliable if the combo is prorated. Whereas j.C always works for me. Isn't that the 3A>3A>214CD mixup I have in there? Or is it different? You can also had the rekka cross-up, actually you can cross-up with 6C [5C] 2C or with 6C 5C [2C] ( [*] mean the hit which cross-up). Sure, thanks. That's not really my goal. It's a curse thread, not guide. I'm not knowledgable enough about Arakune to make a curse guide, I just wanted to create something with some foundations where curse pressure, mixups etc can be discussed.

Hey all. I think it’s important that Arakune has a thread primarily dedicated to curse. Now I’m not the most knowledgeable Arakune, especially in terms of creativity. So I’ll be putting information that I know or tested about different aspects of curse, such as pressure, mixup, reset opportunities and the damage you receive from different starters. I will not be covering combos INTO curse, but I will discuss setups after said combos. I do not know a huge amount, especially in some areas, so any help from other Arakunies would be greatly appreciated. I'll fix it up and make it look nicer too sometime soon. Table of Contents; 1. Introduction To Curse a.Curse Values b.Property of Bugs 2.Curse Pressure 3.Mixup 4.Starters and Damage Values 5.Curse Combos 6.Resets 7.Outro 1. Introduction To Curse Curse, or Fever Mode, is the result of using Arakune’s drives attacks to fill up the Curse bar. When it is filled, it will flash red while decreasing and the opponent will be marked with intertwining mystical rings. In this state, Arakune is able to fire 4 different projectiles from different parts of the screen in order to create mixup opportunities and greatly increase his combo damage. The angle of these bugs can be controlled with 4, 5 or 6 in order to apply them to different parts of the screen. a. Curse Values Curse lasts for 910F, which is around 14-15 seconds. It does not slow down when taking damage, or dealing it. Meaning in most scenarios, that is about how long you will have. Arakune’s Bugs can only be summoned out of blockstun and hitstun. Bugs summoned will disappear if Arakune takes a hit or thrown, even if the throw is rejected. The bugs will not disappear if Arakune is forced to block. If a bug is summoned just before curse runs out, it will remain on the screen until its animation is over. b. Property of Bugs A Bug appears from the far left of the screen and travels in a V shape slowly. Good for Lockdown and hitconfirms. B Bug appears from the top left and travels quickly in a diagonal direction. Multihit and causes quick tech after the last hit. Good for Lockdown, pressure and defence. C Bug appears from the ground and hops a bit similar to a Dolphin. Stuns the opponent for a long time if it hits. D Bug travels from the top of the screen into the ground as a multi hit projectile, before rising from the ground as a single hit projectile that removes 1 guard primer. 2. Curse Pressure Lockdown A and B bugs are the primary sources of pressuring the opponent. Together, they cover a large amount of space and usually get them onto the ground. Once you confirm that they’ve blocked one of these, you can either use it as an opportunity to get in and start attacking. You can also use the D Bug after a blocked A/B bug in order to lock them down even more. This allows you to safely do a 44 wall teleport with another A and B bug to arrive at the opponent sooner. Blockstun Once the opponent is locked down, get next to them and make them block 3A>3A. This causes the A Bug to force the opponent to block the gaps in-between each pair of 2As. Creating about 4 to 5 reps of un-DPable blockstun. From here, you can start your mixup. Caution Be very careful taking liberties during curse pressure. Even if you have bugs covering you, all you need is to take one hit and you’ll likely take a small combo. Even if it lasts a mere 5 seconds, you’ve lost 1/3rd of your curse and all your pressure. J.B is a safe of an approach as it gets. If they’re being harassed by a D Bug, Air Dash Barrier Cancel is a good way to get in safely. Use these as a way to get from the air to the ground in order to start your 3A>3A blockstun string. Baiting One last thing about pressure. Often there will be situations where there are holes in your pressure, especially when you’re just getting to IADJ.B or 3A range. Many people may try DPs in order to get an easy way out. They may also try doing a DP after a B Bug soft knockdown. In the air, AD Barrier Cancel with Bugs, particularly B and D bugs, are a good way to make an air approach safe. If you’re on the ground after a knockdown, I find the best way to bait the DP is to do a quick move like 5A, buffer a 5D, then block. If the opponent does a DP, the 5D hits them. If they don’t the 5D will put them in blockstun, stopping them from jumping away and allowing you to get them with the 3A>3A blockstun. It’s not the most punishing option, but I find it’s the best between high punish damage and keeping pressure. 3. Mixup Mixup during curse is where Arakune excels. All these mixups are set up from the 3A>3A blockstring, though some can be done through over methods, such as a blocked j.B. 6A (Overhead) 6A > 2B (Overhead Into Quick Low) 6A> 6A (Overhead into Trick Overhead) 6C (Overhead) 2C+6CD Bugs (Low Fakeout, useful for baiting people standing for an overhead. 6CD bugs make it safe and lead to guard primer breaking blockstrings or continued 3A>3A) 3A> Throw (Throw Trap in-between 3As. Can also be applied if delayed from any blockstun.) (During 3A>3A) CD > JumpCancel > j.C (Very quick overhead, slightly nerfed from CS but still very good. Cancel into J.2B on block or 214C/j.2C on hit.) (During 3A>3A) 1CD > JC > (Cross Up Opponent) > j.C (Slower than the one above, but forces the opponent to go from blocking low right to high left.) 214C > 5CD Bug (Crosses up the opponent with 5C Bug. On hitconfirm, you may need to do 2C to launch them into the D Bug.) 214C > Hold C Bug > (Delay) 5CD Bug (Fake Cross up. You hold the C button and release it with D after about half a second. Actually hits the opponent from the original position. These two are very hard to guess. The strange thing is, I never use them, even though I should. XD.) These are all the ones I can think of. Please tell me if I missed out some or some of these don’t work. There’s one more thing to talk about. Breaking Guard Primers. In the CS2 system, guard crush causing completely unhindered proration. Meaning you get maximum damage for what your first move is. This means that guard crushing for Arakune is much more advantageous. The things that break guard primers are; 2C – 6C – j.C – 6D – D Bug Up – J.2A/B/C The most efficient way to break guard primers from 3A>3A blockstun is; 2C6CD > j.C > 214C > D Bug Up. This breaks 3 primers. This also allows you to continue 3A>3A blockstun even if they barrier it or they have more than 3 primers. Another way is if in the corner, do 6C over and over. As long as the first 6C was a 6CD, you can get around 4 primers broken safely. If they have more, you can add a 6Bug after the third 6C and repeat the process. Even if they barrier, they’ll eventually be put into DANGER state. Which means after the next primer, they can eat 7k from just 1 j.236C rep. The only disadvantage to this method is that it requires commitment and you won’t have time to do a full combo afterwards, you also need to make sure there isn’t a D Bug if a 6C ends up breaking their guard. But I find it’s the best way to force what is basically guaranteed damage from a blocked 6C. So when should you use the guard primer method? I’d use it in two situations. 1) The opponent has 3 or less primers. This means, midscreen or corner, you can do the 2C guard primer blockstring or the 6CD>6C>D Bug Up blockstring (exclude the second 6C if two primers) to force them to take a clean 2C quickly. Or to go into DANGER state, meaning more damage. If they have two or one primers, this is arguably your best method of getting damage. If they have more, don’t bother, just mix them up. 2) They have little life. In this case, use the 6C blockstring in the corner to bring the game to an end without the possible risk of being hit out of a mixup. Alas, the Guard Primer method has one glaring weakness. Counter Assaults. The opponent will probably realise you’re trying to break their primers, and respond with a CA. Making your entire endeavour pointless. This means unless your opponent is stupid or has less than 50% heat, don’t bother even trying it. Though you can bait it with a rapid if you’re feeling ballsy. 4. Starters and Damage Values The damage values are based on the following part of the combo. Starter > D Bug Up > j.236CD > C Bug Hit > D Bug Down > Walk Into Enemy > D Bug Up. Note: End Damage may differ proportionately. Damage in list may differ depending on the amount of Falling D bug and j.236C hits. Clean A Bug > D Bug (3337) Clean B Bug > CD Bug (3460) Clean C Bug > D Bug (3740) Clean D Bug (3304) 3A > 3A > 5CD (3104) 6A > 5CD (4066) 6CD (4712) 2C6CD (5401) j.C (without C Bug) (4404) Note: This does more in practice as the initial D Bug doesn’t hit the opponent much in the air after an air to ground j.C Throw (3811) Air Throw (3757) J.6A > J.236CD(Early D Release) (3294) 5. Curse Combos Once you’ve hit the opponent with your starter of choice, it’s time start your curse combo. This is the main combo, used by many players. Notations; DBU (D Bug Up), DBD (D Bug Down) Starter > D Bug Up > j.236CD (Delay 6CD Bug) > DBD > Walk Forward > DBU > 6C5CD2C (6C3CD3C in corner) > DBD > DBU > j.2A > J.2CD (J.3CD in corner) > Finisher There is also a curse combo with slightly reduced damage but guaranteed proration, meaning the combo will complete to a reasonable standard, making the Guaranteed Curse Reset in the Resets section easier to do. This combo was designed by Abyss; (any starter) > j236C (release 6C/6D) 6C 5C 2C (release 5C/5D) 5C j236C (release 5C/5D) 5C > High jump > double jump (Dbug launch) > jC > DD > RC > jB The next combo is the Taunt Loop Combo. This is keeping the opponent in a combo from long range, keeping you safe from bursts. Good for killing an opponent off who still has bursts left. D Bug Down > Taunt > D Bug Up > (Press D over and over) > A Bug Hits > D Bug Down etc. Midscreen, move back slightly during each D Bug Down. In the corner, taunt must be done in the 6 direction, along with D. Taunt can be replaced with 5/6A. The next combo is the highest damage combo currently known to me. It’s only doable after a powerful starter, like 2C. You need most of your curse. Very situational, but fun to know. Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m4w78bgWZI 2C6CD > j.236C > 6C3CD3C > J.3BCD > 214A > j.3C > j.3ACD > 5C > Super > D Bug > Super If anyone else knows interesting curse combos, feel free to tell me. Finishers can be whatever you think best suits the situation. A) Laser Super x1/2 (Only recommended if it will kill.) B) Bell Bug > Cloud (For trying to get quick curse.) C) Guaranteed Curse Reset (See Resets Sections, Requires 100% Heat) D) Curse Block Trap “D Bug Up > 6B > Backdash > 6D+Repeated 2Ds. E) Wait for Tech, then 6A, Air Throw or apply J.B pressure. 6. Resets In CS2, Arakune’s curse damage has been decreased. Meaning that now, resets are largely a viable choice and in many cases, the optimal one. A reset requires dropping the curse combo intentionally in order to set up a situation which is likely to put them back into another combo. Since most damage from curse combos are in the beginning, successfully doing these resets can wield high rewards. Especially since many of these involve 2C, the most damaging starter. Resets should be attempted in cases where the curse combo won’t result in high damage if completed because of a poor starter. Unblockable Bell Bug Setup When: If in neutral state during a D Bug Down Where: Corner How: Just as the D Bug is about to pop up the opponent, be next to them and airdash normally backwards. Once they’re popped up, do J.3A>J.3CD. They will be hit by the C and then the D bug. After touching the ground, walk back slightly and summon a D Bug. Buffer in 6B Bug during the bell bug animation just when the D Bug is going to pop up the opponent again. The B bug will hit them, giving them a chance to tech. If they tech, do 2C6CD straight away to hit them low while the Bell Bug hits them high, causing an unblockable. *Note, need advice on the scenario on if they DONT tech, please.* Disadvantages: This is probably DP able, but it has to be done quickly considering 2C will hit them the second the tech invincibility is over. It may be avoided be not teching, but I don’t know. Guaranteed Curse Finisher When: At the end of a curse combo nearing the end of curse. Where: Corner How: Needs 100% Heat. Just when curse ends during a curse combo, end it with 5C > j.C or 6B. After this, do J.214214D. After it hits, rapid, then hit them with the main part of J.B, while the distortion is hitting them. If the combo prorated enough (anything after 2 D Bugs really), then the J.B will reset the combo counter WHILE they’re in the the distortion, causing the last hit to deal 100% curse. There is no way out of this, and is highly recommended if all the requirements are met. Air Unblockable Trap When: After D Bug Up Where: Corner How: This is a simple one. After the D Bug goes up, leave it and let them fall. If they’re mashing to tech, they’ll tech just before they hit the ground. Meaning you can do 2C6CD if they’re weren’t paying attention AND barrier blocking. If blocked, it’s safe and gives a safe opportunity to mix up, making it still fairly useful. If they don’t tech, continue the combo on as usual. 6A No Tech Trap When: After D Bug Up Where: Anywhere. How: *Need to read up more before I write on it.* 7. Outro Anyway, that’s the guide. Hoped it helped any. Any advice to help me develop this would be appreciated.

Ah, just tried it. I actually did it. At least I know I can now. Thanks very much for the input. Now I need to get the hang of doing BBL after the Iris. XD. At least Rachel is fun though.

Oh I see. I've been testing on Ragna so I didn't really see much of a difference. Thanks. Sorry, I have one big question. It may have been answered before but I've watched the videos and stuff but I really don't get how the lv2j.2C works during combos. Take like this for example. 5B>5CDC>3C>8D>5B>JC>j.C>JC>2D>lv2j.2C. I cannot get it to work. Can someone direct me through the exact input process? I do 3D after the second jump, then either I wait too long and they tech, or I do it and it's just a level one. I don't even understand how it can be a level two. The dummy has barely any momentum going downwards and Rachel has very little because I just jumped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX75ysMoZUY&t=4m59s Video for reference. That is pretty amazing. On a different note, how comes everyone says do a j.a after a 2DJump? Why not j.B? It's just as good range wise, it goes into more damage and it's only one frame slower.

Good job hexa, tell me if you're gonna do any of those online sessions. Nickname: LordSpectreX PSN ID: LordSpectreX Location: England, UK BB: Arakune / Hazama AH: Lieselotte / Clarice GG: Testament MB: Nero Chaos