Josh Ballard

Hi everyone, I made a playlist of all of bigooooooohh's ABA matches from newest to oldest: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=794C1FC3A91B4E6A A few of these may not feature ABA actually playing - I just looked for whatever had her name in the description. If you come across any of these, please let me know! Enjoy, Josh.

i don't think i wanna go by that name anymore honestly just josh ballard is fine, or rashreflection since that's the name of my youtube account but HELLA thanks for all the work guys!

xaq cheats thanks and good shit guys, my first time in NYC and it was fun! also high stakes poker is the most gdlk show you guys need to start watching

Many thanks! Just wanted to add a couple comments. Well, it depends on the situation. I should have gone into more detail here, but in particular I was thinking of the Dio throw combo into SJI stuff. That doesn't work on the majority of the cast. 6P-2S may be the same way if the opponent is too high in the air, not sure. Yep, this was one of the main things I was wondering about. I wasn't sure if it was easy to hit-confirm Heat Knuckle from that kind of thing, but apparently it is. Also, there were some good comments on this matchup in the general thread. Mainly, play a poke game with 5H etc, and go for fuzzy guard games on wakeup since your jump-in is safe from backdash. I guess this is why I do better in this matchup than in most others right now - it's actually a bad thing to be highly aggressive here.

On the characters with huge fat sprites in the air (again, Pot & Anji, probably others but not Dizzy cause she's too light), you can do the 669 combo INTO a super jump install combo. Looks so damn pretty and I don't even find it that hard.

i guess i'm still not an ABA player yet then, cause i've never so much as touched that thing =(

I try not to use 6P in combos. Sticking 5S in its place leads to more damage overall. Also the Dio throw combo is REALLY easy on some characters, so it's worth learning for those matchups at least. I think Anji & Pot are among them, and there are others but I forget. It's impossible on Johnny, too inconsistent to use on the Sols, and I think it's also pretty iffy on some of the lightweight characters. See you at MWC, Josh.

Oh yeah another good corner combo on Johnny: 5S-2H, wait until he reaches the peak, 2S-Butt, 5S-2S-double keygrab

yeah this is basically what i've been trying to say this whole time. in my matchup threads i stuck with the chart just for the sake of consistency, but you are right. Also, good stuff and thanks a lot guys, though I disagree with it being even. Mainly because it's still hard to enter Moroha in the first place, and (minor factor but still) Danzai is less safe than in many other matchups since he can easily hammerfall you after blocking the 1st hit. But I could see 4.5/5.5 rather than 4/6.

2H FRC is also great to bait bursts if you don't wanna risk a Danzai. And I have some funny tricks that involve whiffing it on the opponent's wakeup.

I actually don't mind combos on Johnny so much. In the corner, after a Rekka FRC, you can just use 2K-5S-2S xx double keygrab. This also works on Potemkin, though there are much better ways to land that on him. From a throw in the corner, you can perform 5S-2S xx Butt, 5S-2S xx double keygrab. And I *think* the 6H combo works fine if you let it hit both times first, but don't quote me on that.

Here's an awesome corner combo vs. Axl: Far/Close S (1 hit) -> 2H -> IAD j.D xx Orbs (2 hits), land, j.S-j.H-j.D xx Orbs (1 hit), land, double keygrab. You cannot get the 2-hit orbs if the combo was more than 3 hits before the IAD, though. In that case, just do the standard delayed IAD j.S-j.H xx Orbs and go from there.

Thanks, 2-hit orbs are always fun! Also, after blocking a 6H or on wakeup, you can danzai his slide heads! I find this easier than backdashing since you can perform the motion then mash on H - this seems to work kinda like the piano input technique in Capcom games. Depending on distance the second hit will whiff, but you'll still get a knockdown and the initiative.

OK I tested this and it's a bit different than I initially thought. If you hit the EX puffball late, you'll trade. Not so good since you get knocked down. What you actually need to do is hit the puffball EARLY, during the "normal" part of the move. That and the first couple frames of the EX are vulnerable. So yeah, anticipatory 5H's ftw.

Hmm, I'm not convinced this is in ABA's favor to be honest. Bitch has FAR too many ways to knock you down, and almost all of them reset her oki. In case anyone didn't know, she actually has a burst-safe knockdown from her throw: Perform that hair-stabbing move, and immediately after 1 hit cancel into roll. Not fun times. =/ also that first vid got taken down. shit op, ban seth.

One particularly bad thing for you here is that he can dust in between the two hits of Danzai (yes, even the EX). On the other hand, that same move owns the shit out of Pogo stance. Also, in normal mode, the slide is effective at times since it goes underneath that 5S. Go for the throw, and don't forget that you can OTG keygrab afterward without even having to dash!

damn you too? willvolution REPRESENT!

A.B.A vs. Order-Sol Japanese ranking: 6-4 A.B.A Both of these characters focus on constant in-your face aggression, but ABA has the easier time both in setting up her offense and in escaping from the opponent's. HOS is lacking in range, giving you mostly free reign to attack him with 5S and 5H in Moroha, and his DP is pathetic in comparison to yours. Additionally, your combos deal more damage and give you better position than his do. Since this matchup is relatively straightforward in Moroha, I think it will be worthwhile to spend some time discussing the Normal mode game. To begin with, when in Normal, some HOS players may take the opportunity to charge up to level 3; make them pay with a free bloodpack! Once they start trying to actually fight you, you can still compete and create opportunities to transform. In particular, try to force him into the air. 5P and 6P are not very effective in this matchup, thanks to his j.H, but in Normal you can easily beat him with 2H into keygrab combo. j.S beats his air normals as well, and it is possible to hit-confirm a keygrab from it. The ground game isn't so bad, either, thanks in large part to your sweep (look for OTG keygrab after one, of course, but note that it will not connect if you are too far away). 5K has longer range than his "quick" normals, too, and gatlings to sweep. And, obviously, there's the ever-reliable 5H -> Bloodpack. Don't forget about the slides or bloodball (more effective than usual thanks to his low jump), either! Now, after any one of these options, you will be in Moroha. What should you look out for? The sweep, mainly, and any gatlings into it. Because of this, you are best off at mid-range where you can bombard him with Moroha pokes and use strings from there to gain the initiative. Something worth noting in the neutral game here is that he can often beat your IAD attacks with Gunblaze, which will usually counterhit for an untechable launch. Yet more reason to stay on the ground! If he takes to the air, 2S is your best weapon. Look for the counterhit and treat it like a throw as far as followups go. Whenever he has meter, the Fafnir is another main worry of yours. It's fast, it has great range, and it knocks down. Move back and forth, and dash in w/ FD brake to try and bait it. Your air game becomes more valuable if you know he's looking for this. When rushing him down, the main thing to remember is that after blocked rekkas, he can sweep your pokes if you are too close; space yourself to be further away after them, and the sweep will whiff, allowing you to score a 5S combo! You can also Danzai his ass if he's predictable with this. As far as combos go, there are a couple things worth pointing out. For one, the Dio throw combo is particularly easy to perform on him, so use it if you aren't already! And 2H -> IAD j.S-H-Orbs is extremely difficult against him; in the corner I always follow up with delayed 2S-Butt, 5S-2S-Butt instead, but when a bit outside the corner I'm not sure what to do. Just stick with rekka combos, or learn the timing for this? On defense, generally block low while watching for throw setups, and beware of Fafnirs at certain points in his strings. Once he gets 50% tension, though, you'll need to switch it up a bit thanks to his 2H RC combos. Not sure how safe Danzai is here, need to check. I think he also has a strong fuzzy guard setup... Overall, this appears to be one of ABA's best matchups! The areas in which HOS differs from normal Sol mostly hurt him in this fight. Have fun, Josh.

yepppppppp and just learned that someone else in my town plays this game so i'll even be able to practice up! may or may not be my first tournament with ABA

Something I thought of: Is it just me, or do you actually not want to use the S+HS option select for throws? 5H has less recovery than 5S, and it's got that bit at the end that can hit jumpers.

Here's a thought: Might ABA qualify as A Class in the American tournament format? Due to the mechanics of Moroha, she is prone to losing matches where she made better decisions overall than the opponent. If this happens once in Japan, you're done. In the West, on the other hand, you get another game PLUS a whole new 2/3 even if you lose that one as well. It just seems to me like she's the inverse Makoto.

As someone who used to play Axl, I hated it when people would airdash over my 5P for counterhits. ABA's j.H certainly does the job there, forcing him to guess with the other less safe normals. I never did figure out if 3P is any good here...

You can stuff her puffballs with 5H for that juicy counterhit. Even the force break is completely vulnerable on the last frame before it hits! I suspect that would leave you vulnerable to the crossup version, but even still...

There isn't a thread for this already wth i mean potemkin is like the scrubbiest character and everyone whores him so ANYWAY LET'S DISCUSS A.B.A. vs. Potemkin Japanese ranking: 4-6 Potemkin Getting into Moroha is the real bitch here, thanks to Slide Head of Doom. For the same reason, you MUST have your reversal backdash timing down; go into training and record Pot performing meaty slide heads, 6H -> slide head, etc. And always be on the lookout for random slide heads in his various offensive strings. So, what can we do? Well, essentially, look for keygrab combos, and do everything you can to encourage him not to slide head so you can maybe fit a bloodpack in (a good time is when he's high in the air). Your slide seems to be mostly ineffective, sadly, though the force break is nice. j.H is pretty cool, just make sure you get the hell out of there if it's blocked! And look for anti-airs and make sure you convert ALL of them into a keygrab. Another important note with Normal mode here: Blocked 5H into bloodpack gives him a guaranteed slide head combo! However, if you instead cancel the 5H into a bloodball, it will hit him before it comes out. Let your opponent know this, and you might be able to score an extra bloodpack every now and again. Once you're in Moroha, things get much better obviously. Once you get in, rushing him down isn't so hard since he lacks a true DP, though Pot Buster does restrict you in a couple ways. For instance, rekkas up close are not an option since he can grab you after the first one; they're still fine from a distance, though. 2H is obviously great on offense, particularly with its throw invincibility, but be careful with followups - even if not instant blocked, 5P is your only ground normal that's safe from buster. Thus, you'll want to work in your air game to prevent him from getting too reversal-happy, and throw him once he's scared. Always be conscious of the backdash as well, and look to punish with 5S or 5H; the latter actually has 1 more active frame, but the former nets you better combos via the 2H gatling. Once you get him in the corner, his weight will allow you to convert just about any ground hit into a double keygrab. This will mainly be accomplished through 2H combos; it is especially important to learn the 2x orb loop into double keygrab, but experiment with all possible combos! You never know when you'll need to cut things short... One thing to note for midscreen combos: Thanks to his size, you can get super jump install combos into keygrab -> bloodpack. Not as hugely important as the double keygrab, but still worth learning! On defense, you're in for a rough time since all of his options can knock you down. Backdash seems like the safest guess when in doubt, as it dodges buster/slide head and requires good reaction for him to punish with a knockdown, but I'm not really sure. Danzai is worth remembering since it has the super armor and beats throws, but it carries its own risks - on block, you're getting knocked down one way or another! This is just one of those situations that requires you to know the opponent's specific tendencies more than anything else, and you must avoid it at all costs. That's about all I can come up with for now. I'm sure some things in here are actually terribly wrong, so please correct me and add anything else important! Thanks, Josh.

Well, here's something useful for combos that's not in this thread or the portion of the combo thread which I looked through...I'm sure it's already out there somewhere but it should be easier to find. 2H gatlings into 2S. This sets up stuff like the following middleweight (didn't test others) corner combo: IAD j.S/H, 5S (1 hit)-2H (wait until opponent reaches the peak of the bounce)-2S xx Butt, 5S-2S xx Butt for the knockdown, or possibly double keygrab. If you dash forward and 5S-2S after the 2H, it won't work. I guess on most characters you have to get 5 or fewer hits before the first butt? And I'm sure it's been said already, but many thanks for the work you guys have put into this forum! Now all we need is more tutorial video with more goth-chick metal...well and matchup discussion, but that's not easy when so few people play her seriously.