ikeTATARI

I think everyone who likes GG should really give CS2 a try though. I know I'm bored with it at the moment, but I'm excited about the balancing they're doing, and some of the mechanics changes (IB isn't god tier anymore). I think it's going to make the game much more technical, especially because you can't just mash back until you IB and DP to get out of pressure.

I really don't have a main. And I really don't practice. I just play for fun.

... I play too. And I live with Synthesis, making me just as close. Bitches. D= Though I guess he's better than me, at least until I actually sit down and put effort into being good at that game.

Gee, for someone who hasn't been to AIAB for almost a month and a half, you sure know how the players are doing! Additionally, people getting mad at you for playing a character they've never seen before while intentionally being a dick about it is pretty reasonable. Way2tell the whole story.

Yeaaaaah, Mu's ombos got nothing on Zappas.

You can throw him if you IB 236A - it beats anything he can do at that range (including 6A, which beats any of your normals.) Valk's whatever into 236A 2A is a frametrap - you can reversal out of it without IB, but if he 6A's the guardpoint eats your reversal... Luckily 236A is pretty easy to IB so just throw him and get combos. I picked up a little bit of Valk and the sad truth of the matter is that wolf dash looks really good in theory but once you start expecting it it's fairly easy to beat. One of Valkenhayn's best options is to use the wolf dash as an "added air movement" - he can jump, dash, 5DC and get an extra "airdash". He's vulnerable while doing any of the wolf startups though, so you just have to see how he's jumping at you. If he tries to just wolf dash forwards on the ground from any decent distance, you can 5C/2C/whatever it for free. In the air he's a little harder to predict since the wolf dash is pretty quick, but I generally just 2D as soon as I hear him go wolf - I don't remember what the sound clip is, but he definitely announces it and 2D covers a pretty good distance over your head. Also, Valk kills you in 2 combos, but only with the right hit confirms. From mid-range (which is where you should be trying to keep him), he hits into like 2k damage. At close range off of bad starters? 2800~3200. It's when he has the meter for rapid cancels that he's scary, but even a max range 5B 5C 236A RC will whiff the follow ups, so just keep him from getting too close and he loses most of his damage dealing potential. I would also say, don't jump unless you're doing a j2D or planning to air throw him. His jump normals are all better than yours, and jB leads into some pretty damaging j214B combos - and they build 30~40 meter, which you really want to prevent him from doing.

You have to be very conscious of what's going on - most of his close range stuff can be beaten just by paying attention and 5Aing or using your reversal in the right spot. Make him approach you - his defense his much better than his offense, and while some of his jump ins and such are good, they're beaten by basically any anti-air. On the flipside, Valk has a pretty scary anti-air in 2C, and it'll get you into the corner (and give him 30~ meter), so definitely avoid being too jumpy with him.

For 2C CH combos, you can literally just dash forward and 2C. I adds a respectable amount of damage without being hard to do, and I think it even builds 50 meter. Anyway, here it is: [h] CH 2C > 66 > 2C > 6B > 5B > 5C > 236C > 9D > jAA(A) > j236A > j236B > jCD > jB > j214B > 9DD > jB > djB > djC > (j236236C) [5.5k (6.7k), 50% MG] The important thing to note is that this combo builds 50% meter all by itself, meaning you get a guaranteed DD ender. If you're not confident with your ability to hit all three [w] jA 's though, don't do it, as it only builds 48% heat for less damage - you're better off doing the 2C > 6B > 3C > 2C > 5C version if this is the case. Still, with practice, meterless 6k~ combo off CH of a move that has gatling that make it totally safe? Yes please. You can also get the dash from max 2C range - it'll still link. I didn't realize, but it's basically exactly what was posted above, except it doesn't require any meter (and you get an ender for free, or the meter for stupid 5B > 5C > 236A > RC combos.)

I didn't say bad matchups, I said in his favor matchups. I think most of his are gonna be even or 6:4 at most.

You don't need to DC - just pressing D mid combo automatically dashes forward, so you can go right into [w]jB. One thing you CAN do off a 236A is DC 236D (the C halts your momentum and puts you on the ground for the command throw). It's pretty good on people that think you're gonna do something else. Additionally, you can [w] jA to beat people that do something without invincibility - I just don't think it combos into [w] 5B.

I don't think Valk is gonna have a lot of matchups that are in his favor, honestly, just because he has to work so hard to get in. Wolf form approach is REALLY unsafe against most characters, since blocking is no longer an option while you're in it. I know when I was playing as him, I had a really hard time against Hazama, Lambda, Mu... Basically anyone who doesn't have to approach him. Also a lot of his pressure options can be beaten clean by people with reversals - though, on the flipside, it's really easy to bait reversals as Valk, so it could be a blessing if used right.

Yeah, in order for those 5A combos to connect 100% of the time (on characters that aren't Tager), you have to be as close as possible when you start them. I think unless you're in a punish situation (where you know you're close enough) you can do 5A>3C>2B>etc - it's less damage, but it still builds quite a bit of meter.

It also only works on two characters, I assume because they have wonky hitboxes - it doesn't work on anyone else (I definitely spent like 20 minutes testing it, roflmao.)

Here's something to note - 5B>5C>236C COMBOS ON CROUCHING OPPONENTS. This is why 6B>5B>5C>236C always works - the second hit of 6B forces them to crouch. That said, if you hit someone who is crouching with 5B, by all means, 5B>5C>236C into the world of hurt that is Valkenhayn punish combos. Otherwise, I would go for the 236A - it's safe, it leaves you at a good range, and everything he said above. But yeah - 5B>5C>236C is gdlk on crouching opponents.

I just thought I'd note here - any combo that ends with jB djB jC in the corner, you can double jump backwards to protect yourself from wakeup reversals - the combo still connects normally, but instead of landing in the corner right next to your opponent (with them teching right as you hit the ground, making you vulnerable to get cornered or wakeup reversal'd if they're quick), it leaves you at optimal range to either punish a forward tech or get them panicking in the corner. If you feel like that leaves you too far back, doing the dj straight up leaves you closer without being point blank.

If you read the post linked in the announcement about valk, they say that PSN will release on time, but 360 is having problems, and currently has no projected date. Source.

A description of buffering isn't in them.

Another thing to look for - if you watch the character sprite, they generally enter standing - and that's right when they hit "neutral". This is, of course, just general advice - I use these hints for throw combos in MBAA and also for Lambda's Throw -> 66A link (which I still am really bad at, but at least get it 7 times out of 10 or so). Mashing A is good, but if you're concentrating on mashing A instead of watching for neutral, you're not really learning timing - you're just mashing A. I would say do the same idea, but try to get an A to come out AS SOON AS POSSIBLE - that'll give you an idea of when you hit neutral. EDIT: Also, Circ, thanks for clearing that up. I honestly didn't know what the difference was, but people just saying LAWL THATS NOT A BUFFER isn't really helpful (or intelligent). So thanks for explaining it.

...Well please, explain what constitutes a buffer! My understanding of a "buffer" is when you put one input in and then input another one! But since that's apparently not the case, please, instead of not contributing to the topic at all and using one sentence posts, explain them to me, so that I may be enlightened!

Oh, I forgot, you have to push the two 6's within one frame of each other. Or not, making it a buffer.

No, actually, hat's wrong. If you press 6 while in the recovery animation and 6 when it's over, nothing will come out. You have to wait until the character is completely done with their animation to buffer the first 6.

I'm gonna put another vote in for Carl's jB - it is easily the FC move I hit with the most. Throw out some Nirvana normal, jump straight up, jB, FC! Yaay! I mean, maybe he doesn't get HUGE DAMAGE ALL THE TIME off of it, but it sets him up to have a long time to position Nirvana for traps afterwards, and with the right setup you get damage -> sandwich, which is gg for Carl. Honorable mention are the ones above, but jB FC is pretty much the only reason I don't consistently fail as Carl, sooo...

Rachel's are, though - Jin and Ragna have "dash cancel" moments in some of their normals that allow them to dash cancel them, but they're the only characters. Everyone else's dash cancels are links, not cancels.

Honestly, we have no idea the properties of any of these moves - we don't know how good the pokes they're hitconfirming from are, or how good his rushdown is to get him those hitconfirms. I mean, yeah, if he has 7k combos that's great, but if he has to be in their face using a sweep (which would make said sweep unsafe on block) to hitconfirm into those combos, it's not really that scary. Also, Makoto gets that kind of damage in the corner, and yet she's not scary because she has a hard time getting in - I see Valk having similar problems due to the fact that even though his Wolf form has fast dashes, it can't block and you have to change direction manually. The combos that were hitconfirmed from more realistic pokes didn't really seem that terrible, and the combos he has off of his slow, punishable moves make me think he's a "punish" character - his normal combos are okay, but his real strength comes from choosing the right normal to beat your opponent's moves.

Once I get my Sen Triplets deck working I need to come be cheap to your friends. =D