Arcknight

The only "mix-up" I think he gained is from a more liberal use of specials for pressuring. I am not even sure how 6A functioned in CT. It was so long ago. Although, I am in general, bad at timing anti-airs.

I am well aware of Tager's shortcomings. Poor guy. Also, if you play enough Noel mirrors(I don't suggest this if you value your sanity) you will notice a pretty big difference in play. However, it might only be detectable to other Noel players.

Might be why I only saw people go into a craptastic air-combo with it. Even with Thor it did not do enough damage sadly. Oh darn. :/

With 5C having a level reduction you better hope so lol. Although I was never a fan of using RC's to make combos with Noel. After watching a few of the videos PK posted, my thoughts: -Drive looks like it is about CS1 speed again. Livable. -Spring Raid looks awesome again mid-screen! I hope there are still some solid combos utilizing that. Although I was worried 6C>j.D might not connect like it used to in CS1 -Optic Barrel does not seem THAT much worse. It still seems to connect for combos at least. Not sure how viable it is on its own though. Mixed feelings here. -j.B hitbox: It is really bad. They may as well remove an overhead property from it. -4D seems a little more vulnerable. I need to see more of it. -5D looks kind of crappy still. They left in the slide and the invulnerability is noticeably less. Stop fucking with this attack. Please. Pick something and stick with it.

I think Spark being a robot helped him immensely. Joking aside, I will enjoy being able to use a few more specials during pressure without killing my meter. Question though: Is the new meter cool down fast enough to gain a full star back should a counter occur shortly after a 2mag+ special? If it is that would be delicious.

Mu does look pretty much the same. Which is good. Relius on the other hand is far from what I would call cool. He is almost a cut/paste of Carl. Even his attacks are using some robot instead of himself(normals). Super Smash Blue haha. Although his drive looks like it will be at least as annoying as Hazama's. Which is to say, irritating. I just wish they were a little more imaginative is all. Rock on Mu!

It might also be handy if you dash>j.D>fly through retarded sword spam from Lambda>land>shake hands>profit. Or so the legend goes.

I have always played the same characters! That said, I am very impressed with these changes. Hakumen might just be a steam-roller with all that meter. Even getting damage buffs on a couple of his pokes is pretty nice too(since they are air-unblockable). Hotaru not taking a primer is hardly a big deal either. I rarely get a guard crush with him anyways. Although it was nice to have that. I can live without it.

I have the exact opposite problem. I get rushed down and mauled lol. I need more practice.

Even if a burst goes through j.D now how sure are you that you could land and punish it before the burst recovery? At best I think it would allow drive pressure(/sigh) and at worst wash out to neutral. Obviously this might be height dependent. Thanks for the additional information by the way.

That hardly stops 99% of people playing him. At least casually. Even if he sucks he is still liked.

Mu will always be fun because she is incredibly versatile. She is right up there with Rachel as far as creative freedom goes.

Indeed. Play who you like. If I always had to play Hazama, since he has been so consistently solid, I would saw my hands off. Or stop playing. Whichever was easier.

You wound me with words C0r. I was only funnin' but you had to go and get all serious. I might have to end up switching to Noel 2.0 because 1.0 had all her limbs ripped off I guess(still up in the air on it, need more information, just wrote that for over-dramatization).

Mu needs more discussion. People everywhere else poke fun at this forum for still being on its first thread. I think everyone can do better to promote Mu! Maybe some graphic T-Shirts or trendy looking hats with Mu on them! Or something. I am done. Mu has awesome hair.

Very impressive.

After getting the "go ahead" from Sahgren, I am going to link a match he and I had some time ago(these are linked above as well) that pretty clearly demonstrates how this match can go. On defense, Noel suffers a lot. However, so does Valkenhayn in the opposite position. Winning the neutral game seems to be paramount in this match-up, since, for either character, defense=problem. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIC9tbs5BFQ Edit: I will go ahead and post this video as well. Same players. It at least shows that you can 5D through some of his stuff if you feel you need to take the chance. Also a corner knockdown+22B spam will not connect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2IYqHCHAbI

The things that made CT better for me regarding Haku: 6A, 5C, 6B Regarding the burst/guard system: I actually prefered it. I know that must just enrage some people. It does not need to be balanced to be fun. I actually think CS2, being more balanced, is a lot less fun. That is more related to the direction they took the game(corner push/lockdown). It is pretty /yawn for me in comparison. The funny thing is that these things are irrelevant to other people since these are my opinions and feelings. I am going back to my post-surgery medicated state. Someone give Mightfo a hug already.

Instant blocking George is amazing for free meter. However, if Rachel approaches and starts a mix up I suggest you stop. If you try and IB the wrong hit you will get slapped down. It has happened to me a lot since I have played Rachel quite a bit. I can also vouch for Optic Barrel C being ill advised. Even trying it invites a wind-dash into Noel's face. Definitely use with caution. If you are lucky you can tag her during a lobelia toss for a free approach though.

That is actually pretty clever. If you think they might try and go for a Counter Assault, d.6C is where they would more than likely do it. The amount of hits and blockstun is very appealing to launch such a maneuver. Unfortunately it cannot be RC'd if it flops unlike a regular ender. It still might be worth a shot once in a while. Player habits come into play here once again.

It seems like a losing situation to try and keep pressure on Hazama after a knockdown. He has a lot of wake-up options that are very solid. Are they all punishable on block though?

I was looking at a couple of replays from the other day and I would say 5D is pretty reliable to go through chains. I counter-hit the flying idiot a couple of times successfully. Of course, like anything Noel does, this is a gamble. Noel needs to go to Gambling Addiction meetings I think.

It is quite the nightmare facing Hazama as a Noel player. All of his pokes are superior. As is his zoning range, obviously. I have tried almost everything to get out of Hazama's pressure and the only thing that works is the dreaded "lucky guess". Noel's j.4D, as mentioned earlier, is simple to mash out of. 5A works like Hex said. Even though Noel's j.4D is faster in CS2 it is still an easy move to ruin due to its start up. If you are unsure, block it. It beats eating a fatal counter as Hex pointed out. If you play patient and annoying you should not have too many problems with Noel. Do not give her any excuse to kick your ass. Because she will.

Well after experimenting with a random player last night in player matches, I found that Noel's corner pressure against another Noel is pretty solid. Like what is written above, her normals are very hard to mash out of unlike CS1. Even with drive. It is a lot safer to wait it out and block properly than it is to try and gamble on anything. Being counter-hit, in the corner, by Noel, is akin to giving the round away. Outside of a Counter Assault I think patience -is- the best tool for being corner pressured. Wait for an opening. Do not try and make one. Mid-screen there is a lot more room to move around and she is a lot less intimidating. Something interesting to note: 4D beats Assault Through. 4D has upper body invincibility and not head right? 6A probably would not work the same(head invulnerable?). I thought I would add my experiences here since there has not been much traffic in match-ups lately. I also do not mind being a guinea pig for anything in the future either. I should also add that lol5D is not exactly a free punish any more. Not like that needs to be said.

Hey Huey congrats on winning your tournament! It just proves that older men can still easily beat up little girls. I wouldn't have that any other way.