Oiboi

I don't have nearly enough experience against Axl, but my general idea when I'm trying to get in on him as Zappa, especially if I think he's gonna do the rensen/rashousen mixup, is to jump forward and FD-- A little tricky to do, but it's possible to get the vulnerability frame down to 3 frames, even a 1 frame jump if I'm going really fast and desperately trying to get it. Though 1 frame jumping won't net me good forward momentum, it'll ruin the ambiguity of the situation-- If it's a Rensen, I block it. If it's a Rashousen, I can get over it and go for the punish. The issue with this idea is that the Rensen follow up can just toss me right back into the corner even on block, so Axl gets massive options off this. I think the only SOLID option for most characters in this situation is to try to Instant block one of Axl's attacks and reversal punish, particularly any of his chain moves (though good axl's will cancel off the first attack if they expect this to keep themselves safe-- I saw you doing it watches). This is especially true with Zappa who is willing to get a trade from full screen on say, 2A, just to get some orbs and possible get inside, as 2A counter hit doesn't offer as much penalty as getting hit by Summon counterhit, which leaves Zappa at an advantage (free oki and 3 orbs potentially). Likewise, this is why using 6K or 5A against Zappa is bad, as he can just run under them and hit the chain with summon for free punish depending on his spacing (6k he'd just try to hit axl, mind you). The idea against Axl is that Axl is only dangerous to Zappa if he can keep the distance to what he wants, but if Zappa gets in close, Axl is in a tight spot. Zappa's mixup and shenanigans make Axl's counters practically useless, and trying to guess which benten to use to keep yourself safe is ambiguous at best. This ends up leaving a very weird matchup, where Zappa actually has more power than his opponent for once, but lacks the zoning tools he needs to do much with it-- Even the ghosts can become a liability if the Axl has meter to super punish them. This situation is an interesting cycle that Axl can perpetuate ad infinitum if he so wishes-- Zappa vs Rensen/Rashousen is pretty weak, because jumping can put him back where he doesn't want to be even if he blocks it, and Rashousen obviously can catch him off guard if he tries to wait it out. So a smart Axl will abuse this against him, but an even smarter Axl will try to bait the Zappa into the punish-- He's gonna try it-- and get that free 6K once Zappa jumps, especially since Zappa is terrible in the air. The only time this situation becomes in Zappa's favor is if he has the dog either between them or behind Axl, or if he has Raou to get a fast 5HS/6HS hit depending on distance to put the heat on Axl after a blockstring or after rensen block. The reasons why Zappa gets the advantage here should be obvious. If Zappa has the ghosts, he can do P toss in hopes of tricking the Axl into continuing his attacks and getting hit, which gives him pressure and frees him up to move as he wishes. The sword is weakest in this situation but can net possibly the best rewards if he guesses for his punish properly. Obviously a lot of this is specific to Zappa, but some of it can be related to other characters as well-- namely, anyone with a reversal can do any of the reversal options Zappa has can do something with it. Especially DP's need to be kept in check by the Axl, because otherwise that shit will just ruin his day.

Holy shit, I haven't even been checking this far down on the forums cuz I thought I was the only one who still played GG. OHHHHH But seriously. Ryzol, if you want a solid character with lots of power but doesn't die too easily, I'd suggest Sol, Order Sol, Maybe even Jam, Robo-Ky if you like them. But ABA's whole deal is glass cannon. So unless you ACTUALLY like that kind of thing, especially with her, then I'd suggest you keep looking. Holy shit, I drew your avatar. CRAZY.

This is good stuff! Would you mind double posting it in the Venom Matchup thread? I like to keep it all in order and such.

Yo Katanadash played HOS this time, not ZA. I was the only Zappa.

Good shit guys. Lots of hype matches. We definitely gotta do that 2v2 again. No more KFC qwerty, holy fuck. I was so tired I came home and passed out hardcore, my eyes hurt I slept so hard lol.

Is Qwerty there yet? Have someone call me, I'm not too sure how to get there and was gonna rely on Qwerty for directions (I'm still really new to this area guys!)

Hmm, your right, my guide doesn't really give much info on this. First and foremost are your anti-airs. 2HS and DP will ruin Venom's day. The sword DP is VERY good-- teach yourself how to reversal with it and it will be a good tool for shutting down Venom's pressure. When he's on the ground, a quick 5HS or Swordswipe can spook him into playing defensively or net a random free counterhit as he tries to summon balls or pop out a charge ball real quick. Sweeps are very strong against Venom so abuse them. Sword slide isn't very useful in this matchup, as he can punish very easily with charge balls. Don't get into the air, and crouch low as much as possible unless he does an overhead, as your hitbox will be much smaller and harder for him to hit with his projectile wall. Look out for his 6P and 6HS, they're weird moves that can mess you up if your not familiar with how to beat them. 2S/5S are good too. Real good. Especially if you're close, the speed gives you good counterhit chances and can easily lead into a solid blockstring/mixup/combo. Don't use swordspin out of combos, Venom has some really decent anti-airs to mess you up. Don't jump in the air for that matter, really, you're much better off on the ground. Abuse throw mixups as well, make him scared to let the sword in close. Your main strengths with the sword is your ability to get very close and still outpoke him. Most of the swords moves are either faster or simply have better range than his pokes-- 5HS is your go-to tool for shutting him down at mid range. Make him fear it.

You can also run up and stand right next to the enemy on their wakeup, then do a sudden super-jump crossup ghost explosion just as you leave the ground. Really crazy fast mixup potential.

Dakanya: I can't promise anything, but if I get the car I might be able to hook you up. Can you ride the light train to whisman station? I literally live right down the street from it. Qwerty, you know I got you a ride if I got my car too. Let's make it -hot- broskies.

This is kind of how I do it. I've been playing GG for about 4-5 years solid now, and even from the get-go, I was dead set on losing. I knew I was going to lose-- Sure, I wanted to win, but it was blatantly clear that my knowledge, skills, and experience of the game were much too small to secure consistent victory. So I just played as often as I could and as seriously as I could. Some of my greatest matches have been casuals. Most of the time Tournaments tend to dissapoint in terms of enjoyment and what can be learned from them for me, but every now and then you'll get that one match where you get stomped, and eventually, maybe right there on the spot or weeks later, it'll dawn on you why you lost. Obviously just 'knowing' what to do won't help, though, so you gotta practice. In my younger days, I practiced more desperate frame inputs and reversal tools than combos, because if I can't get out of the situations I know I can get out of, I'm never going to get the combo I practiced for 20 hours learning anyways. And of course, experience. You'll learn how attacks work, how characters combo and blockstring, what moves can do what, etc. You'll learn basics like if it's a low or an overhead, whether your opponent can jump cancel it-- or more complex things, such as after you block Slayer's 6K you can reversal to hit him out of 2D mixup (yes that's old slash shit, don't mind it). Experience will teach you how to predict how the game will position and place effects on you or your opponent, and having that experience means you can react faster than if you hadn't. I've met a lot of Rager's in my day, and probably their biggest issue was their lack of knowledge. When this happens, and you feel like there just has to be a way out, don't be afraid to ask your opponent after the match! You won't learn a lot of things without asking. So many people don't know Zappa's standing Dust is grab invulnerable. You won't learn it by asking because it only happens on wakeups, usually-- So just ask! The only other thing you can do is to practice the trick you learn once you learn it, and gain the experience to know when to use it properly.

Four Zappa's? Let's make it 5. Assuming I get enough money, mind you.

Yeah shining, the macro is no good. You all are making this out to be way harder than it really is. Or maybe my thumb is just big, whatever. I do X+Circle+Triangle and I've been playing GG for years. Whether to play pad or stick comes down to how you want to play, and also which character. Many Zappa players prefer pad because having the dog on a trigger is easier, and most of his FRC's aren't ridiculously hard or fast timing (except for ghost and sword FRCs, which can be tricky depending on situation). So Pad FRC'ing is totally fine for him. But I can get any FRC in GG, if I know it/practice it. A stick isn't necessary and it isn't going to necessarily make it easier to play or FRC, but for most people it is. Try out both and decide for yourself.

What the FUCK, 2 zappa's in the top ten. That's fucked up. I got 7th, which means next time, you all are gonna taste the pain train of LOVE called Zappa. Katanadash should just give up (SO MUCH SCURVY BRO) Was good shit. I'd like to get ahold of all the zappa matches to try to revive the zappa forum. Fred or whoever else can help with this, pm me or get ahold of me so we can make it happen. Thanks guys. See you bitches next month, yeah?

I don't remember those numbers being like that. 45 sounds right for most, but wasn't Potemkins and Dizzy's like 140 or something? Or did they come up with a different rating system for them? Anyways. Throws are calculated on a radius from the center axis of the character's hitbox. If your character's throw-box, if you will, is in contact/overlapping your opponents' THROWABLE HITBOX (this is important), then a throw is possible. The range of this radius is the amount of pixels used in that graph, where say, for Dizzy, 49 pixels (apparently, I still remember it being way higher, like 80?) is the radius of her throw range. So if you throw out a 6HS or some BS, and that touches her throwbox, she can instantly throw you out of it, which is what counter throws are. If you use an invincible move, or more specifically a grab invincible move, then the throwbox is ignored. Obviously these ranges are very character specific, even if they technically have the same ranges on average. For instance, Dizzy's hitbox is very wide and big, which is why hers needs to be higher than most-- Except that her center is in a different spot than say Potemkin's. So she gets more range on her throw, even if the amount of pixels used for the radius is technically smaller, she has a higher chance of catching you in the box than potemkin might. This can also illustrate how certain characters with thin hitboxes, like Eddie, can use this range to their advantage and touch your hitbox before your own throw range is even useful. Knowledge of each characters throw range is important so you know when to expect a throw attempt and can break it when you expect it. Hope this helps explain things. Still think those numbers are weird, though... Edit: Derp, I can read. Ignore the crap about the higher ranges. Also, keep in mind this is a RADIUS-- Which is why reverse air throws and such are possible, even if you're looking in one direction. On rare occasions, this also takes effect on the ground, and also explains how you can throw people out of the air if they happen to be touching your throw-box (i.e. super low airdash pressure attempts).

Taokaka's a cool character, but I hate how she combos. Just doesn't feel like it should. That's actually my complaint with most of BB, it feels like it's HNK or MB or some bullshit. I might hit SVGL today. Maybe. My hand is being a massive piece of shit (I might need hand surgery) so it's up in the air atm. If anyone can drive that's near me, hit me up. edit: DEADLY Edit2: I forgot to mention I've a good deal of experience running tourneys. I used to work at C3 and helped run our monthly gigs for about a year. If you guys need help, I'm so there.

A few things: 1: That whole entire first post is cheesy as balls and riddled with stupidity. 2: BB sucks, but Tsubaki's ok. 3: Play more GG, faggots. Good info despite these points. I'll try to get out and play more with you guys if I can. Crazy fucking schedule. Doesn't help that I hardly know any of you and my hands busted.

Learning all the characters will help. Even if just a little bit, understanding how they hold pressure and combo can be a great tool when you're on the other end of it. Even if it's just move properties, you'll learn a great deal.

Ugh, pretty much everything, I think. Geez, where to start? I haven't gotten to play much GG, due to lack of competition and injured wrist (long story), but I'm sure we can update with some better combos and stuff? I'll try to write some stuff down when I can practice again.

Very nice combo vid! The second I heard the bonus videos music, I lol'd. Great shit all around. Edit: You're a Russian player, right? I've been seeing more stuff from there on Youtube lately. You guys should definitely come to Evo. Show the world what you've got.

As a note, Blade is the guy who that site belongs to. He does all that stuff cuz, honestly, not many other people care enough to. I'm sure he'll find this thread and tell us if he completed it or not. Edit: http://mimeblade.oddigytitanium.com/Guilty_Gear/Guilty_Gear_Sprites/Oiboi_Dancin/ Haha, no way, he still has these. Awesome.