Kantan

Calm yourself sir sleep eludes me (what else is new...) I'm working on it all right now things of note already: ground item draw is 1 frame faster than air item draw, dream sally is rapid cancellable (I feel like there's a lot of potential in that...) AND J2C IS JUMP CANCELLABLE WHY DIDN'T I EVER KNOW THAT FFFFFUUUUUU- I feel like that opens up SO many possibilities in terms of block-strings and mixup OH MY GOD. that's the kind of thing that makes that fatass tager CRY. Also, 2A can be air-blocked without barrier, I think D: I dunno, made me sad...

I love translating <3 But I need sleep and pokemon white is calling my name... Shit will probably be done by the time I wake up, but if it's not, I'll work on plat's :P

6C>44>jD doesn't sound viable to me... Your opponent would have to sit there for a long-ass time. jD also shoots farther than 5D. It would probably shoot farther than your opponent's location. You'd have to hope they backdash during your air backdash. 214D would be the best thing to use there, but that would take even longer since you'd have to 6C>44>land>214D. Your opponent would have to be really dumb or extremely, unnecessarily turtle-y. Cat oki is fun~ I think I pointed out the 3C/jD cat mixup thing before. As long as you keep it really random, it works really well. Wait for a tech, and jD as fast as you can. It's surprisingly fast. So is 3C, and they both have wonderful range. Plat's hitbox during jump attacks is... it hurts. Ragna jC is going to DESTROY your jC EVERY TIME. Just get used to it. DON'T go air to air with ragna. Use your anti-airs against him (you have several). Use lots of j236C. Use it to trick him in air to air or to bait a whiffed anti-air 6A. Don't get predictable with that, either, though... I've gotten Ragnas to expect a 236C delay and be completely surprised by jB to the face. I want to look into the idea of TK j236C to fake a jump. Use it while they're high in the air so they think you'll jump up to them, pop out, anti-air. It sounds silly, but I see potential, I think. Kawaii mind games~ Yeah, that didn't make much sense, but it's 8AM on my biological clock and 4PM here. Sorry I can't test anything anymore for you guys X_x At least not 'til SoCal gets a machine...

Also, @Tempest Dahlia and Cirno: D'aww, thanks~ Shit's been... hectic here... But, yeah, I'm totally safe and fine not looking forward to leaving, nuclear meltdown or not...

I think I HAVE made combos like that by accident. like launcher>214D>super jump into air combo It's nothing too exciting and it really actually isn't worth it. Bomb oki isn't too great either... I don't like how slow the bombs are... they really aren't slow, but too slow as far as I'm concerned. If the opponent sits there and blocks them, they're pretty nice, but it's pretty easy to roll past them....

In light of recent tragedies and national disasters in Japan, looks like I'll be heading home early and forced to play the waiting game for plat with the rest of you guys... I did play a few times... I'll see what I can remember that's helpful, not that it'll be that groundbreaking since there're apparently cabinets in the US now? I hate bombs... They have their uses and really are useful, but they always seem to pop up too much and at bad times... and since you can't 214D them away as quickly as everything else when you don't want it, they bug the shit out of me. If you use a bomb or 214D with bombs and they are too close, you can get punished pretty easily. Drawing bombs is one of the only reasons I use Miracle Jeanne (that's what 236236D is called, yeah?) at all. 50% heat to get rid of bombs AND get a powered up version of what's next is pretty awesome. Get opponent down to 1 guard primer > let them think things have returned to a neutral footsies game > RANDOM 236B!!! > profit. I don't know why people don't barrier block more... Of course, this is a stupid, not-real strategy... but it works so goddamn often! Especially with the hammer or after they've burst. Also, if you have heat to spare and the hammer equipped, I love using a 236B>RC to both approach and get them blocking. Start with a blockstring (or just randomly, really... especially if they're in/near the corner) then throw out 236B. That's 1 primer down. RC it. I usually follow that up with 2A once or twice, that way they either keep blocking or start eating a combo from 2A. If they block, HAMMER. Platinum loves guard breaks~ 6C>22C is a lot fucking easier than I thought because I'm dumb and was doing it wrong. I could get the 22C to hit, but couldn't get any followup, so I thought I was doing the setup wrong (wrong bubble, timing the bubble wrong, etc). I was just a fucktard and thought it was 22C>super jump cancel>jB>jC, etc instead of 22C>5C>sjB>etc. At first I felt extremely stupid because I had been trying it wrong all this time, but then I felt awesome because I realized this combo is fucking easy to do, gives GREAT heat, and deals tremendous damage in the corner~ Speaking of this combo, though, it feels like the timing and shit is KINDA character dependent, but not EXTREMELY. What I mean is basically, it's (as you'd expect) easier against some characters than others. I've never dropped it against Tager's fat ass. Some characters give me a bit of trouble, though. The ones that come to mind are Noel, Arakune, Tao, and sometimes Litchi and Hazama. I didn't get to practice it AT ALL against Carl, Lambda, or Mu, but I'd assume Carl's at least probably in the same boat since he's really light. Basically it comes down to delaying the bubble a bit more against lighter characters so 6C doesn't put them too high up to followup with 22C. 22C CAN WHIFF, THEY CAN TECH IF YOU DO, AND YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY. Really, when you're learning plat, learn timing on shit and to not mash. When I try to mash the 5C followups after bubble>6C>22C or after a jD in the hammer loop, I miss most of the time. When I actually stop and try to do the timing on those 5Cs I hit a LOT more often. Just practice and get used to them, they really aren't that difficult. 5B(hit)>5C>6B reset and 5B(hit)>5C>TK j236C>jB/jC reset are two of the greatest things ever. I've only had it blocked ONCE EVER and that was just because I just kept doing it against the same guy over and over. He eventually learned in the final round, but that was okay because I just moved on to 5B(hit)>5C>41236D sugoi throw. Finally (tl;dr as always...), I think it's pretty awesome, but I feel it's worth pointing out just in case: Cure Dot Typhoon (632146C super) DOES restore items (powered up or not).... ON HIT. If you whiff it or it gets blocked, you don't get shit. The good news (although not actually that good...) is that she doesn't do the cute little pose she usually does at the end that restores the items (but it's still pretty punishable unless you get the fuck out of there and your opponent doesn't chase you)

Did somebody say second page colors? They're not the biggest images, but they're from the NeSica website where you buy the colors #1, (there is no#2 for whatever reason?), #3,#4, #5, #6, #7, THE GREATNESS THAT IS #8, #9, #10, #11, and #12 You might have already guessed, but I already bought and always use palette 8~

I had been lucky and all the Noel's I'd faced prior weren't very good I played a better one recently. Seriously, 2D and jD seem to DESTROY plat. Platinum doesn't feel like she deals well with people that are above her. 6A gives you upper-body invuln, but I feel like it doesn't come out fast enough to beat 2D unless you flat out PREDICT the 2D and use it before the move even starts. 2D just goes over and beats 5B and 5C. It makes me want to cry. If I had 100 yen for every 2D that counterhit me whiffing 5B... jD moves Noel up. Platinum HATES people above her (both air to air and ground to air). Platinum hates jD. It also takes away your advantage that the bat gives you. Noel jumped in> I used the bat> Noel threw out a jD> the bat and jD CLASHED> I ate a counterhit jD and combo. That happened THREE TIMES (you think I woulda learned...) Seriously, I lost rounds where Noel really didn't throw out ANY normals. She just poked with 2D and jD, threw, and used 3C maybe once or twice. Question time: Any tips on where the holes are in Noel's drive strings now? For the most part, the mixup isn't too bad (I used to play Noel, so I can read 6Bs pretty easily), but losing THREE guard primers from 6Cs and Assault Through are not fun. I'm too scared to poke out most of the time because everything feels sped up and safer. Halp?

FUCK NOEL 2D. That is all for now.

@Corinthatic: ah, duh. sorry XD @Urichinan: If they are within the realm of my shitty input's ability, I will gladly test them out. Keep in mind that, until further practice, 22C juggle things aren't something I can pull off consistently... Hell, even 3C>22C is hard...

@Corinthatic: what? BTW, guys, someone's visiting me for the next week and then a few days later I'll be traveling around the country for 2 weeks. In other words, no Plat or DL access for a while. My goal after I get back (or if I get to go before I leave) is to try to get some specific damage and heat gain numbers off of some of the more common combos. 5B>5C>236B doesn't have a heat gain yet in the combo thread and that is UNACCEPTABLE. I'll try to get things like that and easier combos (like mami circular>pickup>bubble> air finisher) down and off of different starters (from 5A, 5B, 2B, 5C...).

I'm pretty sure 2A ISN'T actually jump cancellable, but it's so fucking fast to come out and recover that it might as well be. True, there is a gap there since it's not, but your opponent should be trained to continue blocking after 2A by the time you use that anyway :P Plat is a mixup champ, here goes: 2A: low 5A: mid 6A: mid 2B: low 5B: mid 6B: high 2C: mid 5C: mid 6C: mid (but leads to highs, like ragna 6D) 3C: low j.A: high (FUCK YEAH) j.B: high j.C: high j.2C: high 236A: mid (sad day) 236B: mid 22C doesn't come out unless they're already in hit-stun 236C isn't an attack 214BUBBLES: mid 41236D: throw 632146C: mid items: missiles and bombs are always mid 5D is mid for hammer, pan, bat and kitty jD is high for pan, kitty, and first hit of hammer (I'm pretty sure the second hit is mid) I'm not sure about jD with the bat, but I don't think it can come out low enough to hit them when they're crouching, to be honest. It floats her up a bit on use in the air and she swings kinda upwards. I think these are all the same as the upgraded version. The only one I'm unsure about is the second hit of jD megaton hammer. It MIGHT be low, but I really don't play around too much with the upgraded items, only against the computer which is too stupid to block anyway... Hope I'm not forgetting anything... As for jump cancellable moves... I think it's only 5A, 6A, and 5C. 6C IS a jump, so think what you will of that move (it also cancels pretty damn quickly into jC... too quickly, you gotta learn the timing on it). 6C is another fun move. Throw out once in a blue moon and watch their health disappear on that fatal counter. I often forget it even exists, but not nearly as often as my opponents do, apparently. Use it after a 5C. They'll expect either 3C or a jump cancel. When they don't see either of those happen immediately, they'll try to react by poking, but often just in time to get FC'd by your move. Again, while this isn't DANGEROUS (you can continue attacking [and from the air!] on block) it loses a lot of its effect if you use it too much. Also, that situation about the hammer and missiles: In theory that's a pretty good idea, however 9 times out of 10, the opponent jumps the second they see 214D missiles, meaning the SLIDE-HAMMER wouldn't do anything. At least you get a pretty safe Miracle Jeanne, though :D I'll probably look over the guide sometime tonight, Urichinan. If I feel anything needs correcting or whatever, I'll send you a PM or post here just so that thread stays nice and tidy (I don't like the guide threads getting cluttered and ugly with non-guide things). Furthermore, your avatar is so painfully ironic in the Plat section. Just sayin'.

@Urichinan: so I tried 2C>22C's and, as I thought, they're even harder to do. I'm wondering if those situations you mentioned are special. The first involves the frying pan and the other is off a 22C rapid. The timing on 22C's on an airborne opponent is difficult. You gotta make it hit them AFTER she bounces off the ground on her pogo. But if you use it too early, she will either whiff or hit them too high, meaning they'll tech before you get the chance to do any sort of followup. I'm yet to get it down consistently, but I'm gonna pretend that's because I haven't gotten much opportunity to practice lately >_< Want my opinion on items? :D Bat: The bat can shut down the opponent's offense, but it also hurts yours. Every other item helps your offense in big ways, but the bat just really doesn't. Usually when I get the bat, I either throw it away or use all three charges up really quickly. It's kinda fun to rush towards the opponent then just use it to cancel out whatever poke they use against you. If I don't use it quickly, it really just sits there unless I'm getting rushed down by the opponent nonstop (hello, ragna!), which limits a lot of my offense :P bombs: I feel not enough people mention these. Up close, they're next to useless, but they have their uses! If you can get used to aiming them (which is easy), you'd be surprised how often you can catch people with these and grab initiative. Also, since they hit twice (once on impact, and once on explosion), even if the opponent blocks 'em you get plenty of time to close the distance favorably. My favorite use for them, though, is a really preemptive anti-air. The angle you shoot them at (especially 214D) works great for most jump-ins if you use it early. Cat: almost instant over-head from nearly half a screen away? HELL YES! Your opponent will fear the cat, and you should give them every reason to. The can't isn't amazing damage, especially since you can't really use it in combos (there's almost always a better option than ending with the cat). However, the damage from 3 quick, surprise hits of the cat can easily decide a round. Don't get predictable with it, that's the key. Missiles: Man these are fun. Use them all individually to tag an opponent full screen by surprise, or use all three for cover to close any distance and often give yourself the initiative. Let them jump and chickenblock so you get the option of crossunder or faking crossunder. If they aren't barrier blocking in the air, hit them with 6A or 5C (if they'll hit) for basically a free combo. Hit them with a 236B before the second missile hits, even if they block it you at least take off a guard primer and will be made safe by that missile. frying pan: If you have the pan and hit them, they are going in the corner. The frying pan ups damage and helps you move your opponent. When I know that the opponent is just a bit too far for 236B to get them to the corner for combo, 5B>5C>DOKKAN!>dash-in>5B>5C>236B often does the job. We also all know how AMAZING the jD overhead is. tk swallow moon>jB>2AA>jD is RIDICULOUSLY hard to block. There are probably better things to do, but this has worked for me and makes sure barrier blocking doesn't move them too far away from me. Hammer: My baby. My sweetheart. Every item pull I do is basically just me getting that item out of the way and praying that a hammer will come next. One of the proudest moments of my blazblue life has been beating a noel using 236B>RC>236B>RC>5AA>HAMMER!!!>guard break>combo. It's just not something you really expect. Hell, I didn't even think It would work. 100% tension, no bursts left, and a scared-shitless, cornered opponent being required on top of the hammer and initiative makes it pretty damn situational, but GODDAMN IT WAS AWESOME. Factor in that the hammer still had 2 more charges left (which I then used for the combo) and you got yourself an AMAZING item. As for Miracle Jeanne: Hammer: It's useful, but I don't really know if it's worth the tension. It's pretty nifty against lambda, she loses the ability to use 214D anytime other than on your wakeup. There are probably other times it's useful too. I haven't tried it out in a hammer loop yet to see how much better the damage is, I'll get on that. Missile: FULL SCREEN LULZ. They combo into each other. Hazama can't even troll as well as these let you. Really though, while these have their uses, I think I'd rather have regular missile 214D to let me close the gap between me and a troublesome opponent. Kitty: This is another big LOL moment. I think someone already mentioned how fun these are against tager. Get them at 3C distance and let the 3C/jLION mixup commence, and now the damage is much scarier for your opponent. bombs: I think using heat on upgraded bombs is pretty much a waste. They're bigger and they do more damage, but most of the time I just use bombs to have a little fun and maybe get some extra damage off my opponent until I can pull the next item. Bat: Extra damage and reach on your one-button DP? That's pretty awesome, but is it really worth it? I dunno, I'm biased. I've seen plenty of vids where the pros use the upgraded bat, or at least upgrade it and just sit on it, but I'd rather have the mixup and damage that the other items afford me... fan: This adds a good chunk of extra damage to the normal frying pan combos, but that's not even where it really shines. The fan adds a really good chunk of extra range to your pan attacks. This is especially awesome with jD. jD with the pan requires you to be right on top of your opponent, especially if you want to combo afterward. In other words, if you do a full blockstring, then jump cancel the 5C for jDOKKAN, you're probably going to whiff if they barrier'd at all. jFan lets you confirm them blocking a little bit later and still successfully hit them with the instant overhead. I am the master of tl;dr. I hope you guys at least find the wall of text useful ;___;

Whoa... I've been away from the board too long apparently and missed a lot of info! Is the DLC official for the end of March or so? Is it free and do you NEED to already have makoto and valk to be able to download the patch? Is it even a patch?.. A trip to the news and info thread didn't result in much... 3DS wat... I'll try 2C into 22C today. Do you remember that being situational at all? Like, when you saw that happen, was it off a FC 6C or a counter hit 2C? I would imagine that if it's not situational, the timing on it's even harder and possibly character specific. Her command throw... It's a mixed bag. It is slow and I think it's pretty easy to read, but I've gotten it to work more times than I can count. Against scrubs and average players, it's awesome. 1500 damage and an item refill for free, that's pretty sweet. Against a skilled opponent who can read and dodge it, you're going to eat shit on the whiff. If you can go without using it until the last round and train the opponent to block and expect the same string, throwing this in at random at the end can be useful. Hell, I've hit with it off of 2A>2A>command throw once I've gotten my opponent to start expecting 2B or a jump attempt. It's especially nice after 5C. A decent opponent is going to be scared and trying to guess if you're going to jump or throw out a 3C. They might even forget you have a command throw by the last round if you've not using it. I'm pretty sure it runs to wherever they were when you INPUTTED THE MOVE, so if they jump and airdash towards you, you'll keep running under them to wherever they jumped from, but let me try to test that today and find out. Don't use it from too far away, like 3C range is pretty dangerous. If you thought it was slow and easily readable before, no opponent is going to watch the startup and then sit there and watch her runs towards them and throw. All in all, AWESOME tool to have, I love it, just don't overuse it.

@cirno: only fought one guy, but guard broke him twice~ If you absolutely NEED a guard break, I find that j.Hammer>RC>5A x n (it keeps them blocking and makes sure you don't get poked out of the next hammer)>HAMMER>combo. At the very least, you're spending 50 heat and two hammer charges (probably one more before then to get them down to 3 primers) to waste their burst~ It's also pretty easy to block the now impending burst. @Urichinan: 2C>214A>22C does work, but I've actually been having more success with 214C. The timing is tight, but TIGHTER, I feel, on 214A. If you can get 214A to land successfully, then they will for sure be at the right height to do 22C>etc I think. With 214C, you still have to time it late enough that they end up at the height they would have for 214A, basically. The 22C just still feels awkward to me (I've always hated 22x motions. Haida loops were the death of me). It needs to be pretty damn late. It really is 6C>wait>22C. The really hard part is the super jump after that, especially because I still pause and go "OH, HEY! I GOT THE 22C TO HIT!" It is entirely possible to whiff the 22C, but from my experiences whiffing it so far it's not too punishable. It's usually whiffed by having the opponent too high after the 6C, which means they're also too high to punish you before you recover from the 22C. Carl just feels especially easy to whiff this on. Another thing of note for people that haven't played her yet: DON'T MASH OUT THE POGO! If you get to the end of an air combo and just start mashing 236AAAAAAAAA or 236ABBBBBBBBBB or whatever, you will find that the third hit will miss a LOT more often than you'd like, especially against litchi and hazama (for whatever reason... funny hitboxes?). It sounds silly (but it's Platinum, so it's supposed to), but you need to get a feel for the rhythm of the pogo! What really happens is, she actually does bounce off of them a little each time she hits them with this (for a total of three times). If you mash it out, the second and third hits will come out while she's at the top of the bounce from the first or second hit. If this is the case, the third will come out too high and you'll both just kinda fall to the ground. This loses you damage, heat, and any semblance of oki that the pogo gives you (which is actually pretty decent, especially in the corner). I find the B version the easiest to whiff, which sucks because it's also my favorite (puts you basically right on top of them, right in 2A range). It should be 236A>B>B, not 236ABBBBBBB It's easier than I make it sound... just something to keep in mind...