Oiboi

Yeah, by my understanding, fuzzy gaurd is when someone gets hit because they blocked low expecting the enemy to land and do a low attack instead of staying in the air and doing another attack; At least, that's exactly what this is described as. This isn't a fuzzy gaurd, it's just mixup; the opponent must block low for the j.HS to hit. If they keep blocking high, then they block it, simple as that. Also, doesn't j.HS hit crouching opponents?

It's been a while since we had some more matchup discussion, so let's get moving on to Robo-Ky. This matchup is kinda weird. He plays nothing like Ky, but combos are just as weird on him as they are on Ky. Naked: -Watch for his 6P. He'll use it to build heat for more hitstun, so there's a good chance he'll use it to knock opponents away so he can start getting tension to monopolize on it. Your 6P beats it. -His 5HS is also a very good move. Again, 6P wins if timed early enough. -5K his 2S, watch out for his fast, low hitting 5K. -As long as he doesn't have tension, he's not a huge threat. Dealing with the Chariot, bazooka, and air missiles can be a nightmare once he gets tension though, and his damage can be devastating. Get a summon and lock him down as soon as possible. Ghosts: -Ideal for this matchup. Due to Robo-Ky's slowness, you can easily lock him down without too much trouble. His 5HS is his best reversal option though, so watch out if you do a slow move within range of that. -Don't worry too much if he gets pressure. His pressure relies almost entirely on his meter, so it's a very limited amount of great pressure he has. Instead, look out for mixup (particularly command throw mixup, his is one of the best in the game so DO NOT get grabbed by it) and don't fall for counterhit baits. Sword: -A pretty good option given the range and speed. Dodging the air missiles is trickier with this one, as you can't toss a ghost and FRC to block and punish, and you can't command your dog to uppercut him while your blocking. Instead, try to anti-air him before he gets a chance to do it, and stay really close in his face to annoy him. -Use your 5HS and swordswipe to make him scared to use his 5HS. Timed right, RK's 5HS will win against yours, but if he's off by just a few frames, you win. Dog: -Obviously great. Don't let it die to his multihitting moves, like the bazooka and air missiles. Setting up isn't too hard since he's kinda slow. -Easiest to combo with against RK. Usually his weight makes things wacky, especially once you get him into the air, and his hitbox is just as weird as Ky's. However, with the dog, there's no need to even worry about that, as you can unblockable trap, infinite, etc. as much as you want without too much trouble. Raou: -Actually kind of annoying to use. Lv 3 Air missile will stuff any attack Raou does except edguy (and even then it's risky), bazooka has great pressure and mixup strats, and it's just generally difficult to not get counter hit if RK has tension. -In this respect, bellows mallice is easily your best option. Force him to lose his tension and the match is definitely yours. Overall: A robo with tension is a dangerous robo indeed. There are several great tricks he can use to catch people who don't have much vs Robo-Ky experience off gaurd, particularly throw setups, air pressure, and his deceivingly good 5D's range. He's good in the air, so generally, stay out of the air. All in all this actually feels like an even fight to me, but I'd lean towards saying it's slightly in zappa's favor. Put simply, though, do not underestimate Robo Ky. As always, comments, questions, tips, suggestions, etc. welcome.

But doesn't the sword only go in one direction, regardless of which way is Zappa facing?

Forums been dead for a while, so I'm coming with a question to stimulate your noggins. Belated Xmas present, if you will: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrVocUskWrQ At about 40 seconds, Zappa does a reverse sword swipe after a normal one. Was there some reload reverse version I don't know about or something? This is seriously bugging the hell out of me. Also, Valentine: Getting that FRC in combos is tricky, you have to input it normally before you even see it happening since it will read your inputs seperately from what's going on on screen. It's a little confusing at first but get the toss FRC down by muscle memory and just do it whenever you throw a ghost in a combo and you'll get the hang of it.

I swear this game gets no love. I got to play this and to me, it feels a lot like chess. As long as your masterghost (King) doesn't die, you can still fight. Gaining territory and using your units (pawns and etc.) allow you to strategize your attacks and crush your enemy before they have a chance to do anything. The dashing maneuver is awkward but there's a reason for that; people who are good at controlling it can cover more area and take more ghosts faster. Killing the auto units that go from ghost to ghost can help you take ghosts faster (Don't bother wacking it yourself, the units can take points much faster as long as they don't get interferred with). So the general idea is to send units to one point and run to the next one to stop units from taking that one as your units catch up. Supporting your units this way helps take ghosts faster, and ultimately gives you a huge amount of mana really fast. If your going to use the menu, do it around units. They should hopefully cover you a little bit in the chance of a surprise attack, and you can help them as soon as your done. If your going to try to take a risky area, say it has a lot of units, send as many of your units as you can spare to it, pocket a few and then run there. Drop the units, and start killing stuff as fast as possible before the enemy master shows up. If you're good enough you should be able to take the ghost without too much trouble this way. Don't assume you can do everything by yourself. Your units are necessary to do much in this game, as they can take ghosts and take the masterghost barrier down very fast. In return, they need you to keep them safe from bad unit matchups, enemy masters, and to deliver the final blow to the masterghost. It's very important you keep an eye on your units and assist them when they're in trouble (Even in chess, the pawn can be the most important piece on the board). From what I can tell, there are varying playstyles for each character. Sol is a lot more hands-on, and is versatile in almost any situation. Paradigm's units are VERY good but he's pretty weak on master vs master conflicts. Izuna is a little awkward, his units are pretty good but some are rather weak (the catgirl/ranged units in particular), but he's rather good at master vs master fights. Sin is similar, although his units are slightly stronger to compensate for the lack of serious damage (He's got some good overdrives, but his combos aren't much...). Valentine is the most awkward one I've played, as her moves have weird hitboxes; She's very good if she uses her units as the main attack force and comes in to smack the enemy around. She's pretty decent at combos too. Ky relies the most on mana to do his specials and overdrives, and his units aren't really anything special, but he's got some good damage nonetheless. The combo system is a little awkward at first but once you get the hang of it it's actually not too bad. Focus on getting your units first though, before buying special moves and such, as you can't do much without them anyways. End match Sol Dragon Install is really freaking awesome though. 20 units vs 20 units with Sol slamming through everything is insane. If you need health or mana, stand near a ghost as it'll heal and give you more meter. Do this after master vs master fights or they'll just come back to get you. Make sure to send your units ahead to distract the enemy while your doing this, and run to help them as soon as your ready. You should also use this time to work the menu whenever you need to, buy more units you lost, buy specials, items, etc. Speed is imperative, and the faster player will almost undoubtedly always win. The more ghosts you have, the more mana you will obtain, so the person who gets more ghosts the fastest will have a major advantage later. Controlling space is just as important as it is in fighting games; the more territories you control, the harder it is for your enemy to do anything. Oh, and 4 player matches are a sight to see. So much stuff going on, it's really fun.

I'm not a huge FF fan, but give me a chance to play with Zidane and Kuja in a fighter and I'm there. I'm seriously going to buy a PSP just for that. (Can you tell 9 was my favorite?) Anyone got Zidane/Kuja matchvids yet? I've looked around but all I can find is mostly cloud/sephiroth BS and squall and tidus... Also, that epic fail vid was hilarious. Good to see combos are crazy.

I agree mostly with Zoogstin, just a few things to add: 1: Vs. Millia, I don't have TOO much experience, but I know her mixups are really wacky against Zappa. Her 6K has deceivingly good range against him, and her pokes are generally quick enough to scare you away from poking. You can punish her tops with 6P if you've got the momentum/position right, and can cancel into summon if your afraid the tandem tops will hit. 5K beats the hair slide thing if timed right (closer you are, the better), and just anti-air her in the air. Her air moves aren't too great against zappa, since their designed to connect on taller characters. 2: With the ghosts, you can take advantage of this by super jumping and immediately using j.HS as soon as you leave the ground. Air backdash will also allow you to toss a j.HS to create room between you and your opponent, helping to zone. As for rushdown, ALWAYS throw a ghost before you run in. This will make it harder for them to stop you and stuff any attacks you're doing, and you can start doing 6P/5K 2D while the ghosts catch up, and then you can toss FRC for shenanigans. With the sword, the slowness isn't as severe, so usually it takes a lot of movement for you to be too far away from it to use it properly. If you desperately need a sword, DP will always work, as will swordspin. Basically, execute a special and you'll get the hitbox regardless of where the sword is. 3: Getting in with Raou can be tricky on some characters. Ky, for instance, is actually a bad matchup for raou, so take that into account. Don't be afraid to play really really safe, as you'll end up scaring them into acting (as they'll expect a throw or mixup) and you can get free counterhits. 4: I disagree with Zoogstin; Zappa's backdash is probably the best option IMO. 10 frames of full invincibility, plus in the corner your right there and read to punish it. Jump, even 1 frame jump, can still be grabbed (albeit it's much more difficult). Sword DP has instant grab invul so that's a good option, as zoogstin said, but keep in mind 5D has 10 frames before the grab invul appears, so it's actually not too effective defensively (I prefer to use it as throw bait on wakeup). There are several setups for Wild toss, so determine which one you friend usually catches you with and you'll learn to predict when their about to do it. Alternatively, learning to Instant block his strings and throw him before he throws you is an option (though way more difficult since Zappa is wacky with throws).

I once IK'd a HOS player during Rock It. Hilarity ensued. Things zappa can IK through: Slayers dash (even if it passes through) Anything with a long startup (Really funny) Baiken's command run (right into it) Sol VV recovery Testament's badlands recovery Slayer's Dandy step (run in, IK) HOS's blocked gunblaze (66 IK) Pretty much anything without a very quick startup will get IK'd Remember, you have 35 active frames on that beastly IK, so feel free to bait jumps then do it as they fall into it (it's worked so much lol).

I'll admit, I have a bad habit of wanting to quote Kamina every time I kill with edguy. I'll usually just scream "EDGUY" really loud though, that usually pisses them off enough, especially if their a pot player lol:vbang:

Damn, carl's sounding better every day now. So negative edging comes into play with her a lot huh? For Nirvana chains, how many/what moves can she chain together before she deactivates? Does it also expend more of her health? I know you guys don't know everything yet of course but it'd be something worth testing I think.

Oh snap, they're including FFXI stuff too? Well that's interesting...

Do you mean 15 seconds for her health to recharge? Also, all of her normals and specials deplete Nirvana's health meter, or is it specific, and how much? (like, is it only a tiny bit or is a chunk each time) Can't wait to try Carl out, he sounds like he plays a lot like Zappa's dog from what I've been reading. He looks good from what I've seen, but no one plays him lol...

Yeah, Canon was made by Nang-In. What's even more amazing is the fact that he pulls off a lot of those crazy combos in real matches. He's amazing at hit confirming too.

roflmao I think actually you have to do a move that puts them into the air before the 236S (like 2D) or else you can't do the air combo.

Nice combo. I've actually seen the 236S FRC air combo, though I think I see c/f.S before the jump. Regardless, I never get it reliably enough to combo after wards... I'd like to see someone who can D:

I think he's getting confused on which hit to jump cancel actually-- You'll definitely have to jump cancel the first one, tk it like 2369 (the 9 is important because that will make you jump forward) HS and it should work. I'll have to play around and test this myself, sounds fun as hell... lol

Sounds like it'd black beat... if it's air hit 2HS 1hit MAYBE it'll be gold, I can't test at the moment but... Definitely wanna do sword swipe or DP if midscreen (since dp can combo from anywhere on the screen if you get the FRC reliably). Still, your getting creative, and that's the best thing to do with the sword.

Oh SNAP. Anyways, my 2 cents: What about organizing some system that allows you to text message players cell phones? This would essentially be the same idea as the pager idea, but much cheaper since you don't need to pay for the hardware, just some program or someone on a cell phone texting players. The only drawback is that text messages cost money for most/some people, and that not EVERYONE will necessarily have a phone, nor would everyone probably want to give their number to someone like that. However, I still think it'd be a good idea to let people know, alongside the basic megaphone/bracket chart announcements. As for actual tournament setups, I'm not very good at that sort of thing, specifically 'how to fit things within a certain time span'. However, I do believe that an extremely strict start time must be absolutely upheld. If the tournament is schedule to start at 2, it should never start later than 2, it should begin on the damn second it becomes 2 o'clock. I've never been late to a tournament, even when I KNEW they were going to delay it for people like always, I'd show up 2 hours earlier than when it's supposed to begin. Yeah, stuff happens, but unless losers has started, you can still put them in that bracket. There's no reason to delay a tournament for hours just waiting for one or two people. So in terms of people being later, unless their bracket hasn't started or something, simply throw them into losers. They still get to play, but they don't get to play as much as other people who showed up ON TIME, and of course, if losers has already started than I think it's best just to tell them their DQ'd. At the point, everything is too far started and there's no way they can really get anything out of it. I remember at FRXI, if you were going to get some food or something you had to write your name down on the piece of paper, sort of a "check out-Check in" list. If your name wasn't written on there and you didn't show up when called, you DQ'd after like, 10 minutes? I think it was. Point being, it worked, as most people were there for their matches when it was time, so I think that's an effective and easy method of keeping track of people who went to the bathroom or needed some food or something.

Oops, sorry chomite, meant 4.5-5.5 just a typo on my part. And yeah, Phrekwenci's got the idea, throw out random moves and you'll probably catch him with something.

This fight is stupid annoying. Chipp's speed can be overwhelming, and it often becomes about interrupting his flow with a perfectly timed summon. Naked/Unsummon: -This match is comparable to ABA's in terms of momentum match. Whoever gets momentum first is at a huge advantage. -This quickly becomes about how well you are at reading your opponents patterns and tricks. Teleports, for instance, almost always are followed up with an attack, especially if they are done into the air (HS or D versions, for example). This is often a good time to use a summon, since blockstrings often end before they try this, and you'll be able to do a summon. Also, punishing the flame kick from the rekka's is possible off of normal blockstun from the rekka's as well. -However, if they are good at baiting you into doing it, you could also be in trouble. Chipp has actually decent damage in the right situations, and Zappa's defense rating isn't anything special. -With that said, Chipp's moves have some odd properties and can be both hard and easy to summon through. You have to become completely unpredictable when it comes to using countersummons or even simple counter attempts. Don't try to summon through 2D, the lower invincibility and quick speed makes it difficult to hit from mid to max range, but if your close you might be able to land it. His 6K vs Summon will end in tradehit, so be careful of that as well. -However, he can't escape Zappa's pressure too well, and Zappa's mixup is very good, so if you can put the match in your favor, then you can hurt him pretty easily. Ghosts: -If you whiffed a summon and happened to not get beat out or punished, or simply autosummoned the ghosts, your at a pretty big disadvantage already. Without the summon to completely shut out Chipp's attacks, and the slow movement of the ghosts, there's not much to be done against his pressure and pokes. Anticipated teleports can be punished by well timed ghost tosses, but often only if you FRC. f.S is good against some of his ground moves due to the speed, and should be able to beat out the startup of 6K. -However, if you happened to land a summon, then you've got a massive bonus. Oki is very easy against Chipp, as he only has a subpar uppercut and a long startup alpha blade to use as escape. Teleports take too long for him to get away, as well, so as long as your smart there isn't too much he can do. -Command throws after a knockdown, especially if you have the ghosts, are very tricky to deal with. Because of this, use 5P on wakeup is a good idea, however, Backdash is the absolutely only failproof reliable option, as it will also escape his forcebreak. Don't try doing it against any other option on wakeup, since he usually will recover fast enough or use Gamma blade to catch you regardless. Sword: -Difficult to utilize properly in this fight. Since he has low defense and your DP is very good as an anti-air, this is a good option defensively, since you've got another invincible move you can use to make yourself safe. -Offensively, you have to fish for counterhits more than hope for mixup attempts. This is because Chipps are often very good at defense, because they can't fall for mixup as easily as other players or they just won't last very long at all. -Still try for mixup, especially tick throws, but also watch out for counterattempts. Bait these and punish them for maximum damage. Dog: -GREAT summon in this match. Why? You'd think he'd be weak due to how fast Chipp is, but in actuality, Chipp is very weak after a blockstring. He can attempt to use specials to keep him safe, but the dog is good at hitting him out of recovery (particularly 5D, 6D, and 8D). -Once you get pressure, the lockdown begins. Chipp simply doesn't have the tools to deal with a good dog, but if your sloppy at all he'll be able to gamma/alpha/beta blade out of it and punish you for all it's worth. Raou: -If you were able to get Raou, congratulations, you actually didn't kill chipp before you got him! -But seriously, this just becomes the silliest fight ever once Raou comes out. Chipp can't do a damn thing here. Anything he does will get edguy'd, and if he blocks he gets crushed from chip damage. Even if he actually does get pressure, spamming edguy attempts will ALWAYS land free combos. And that's about the jist of it. Probably a 4-6 or 4.5-6.5 match in Chipps favor, due to how fast and annoying his pokes are. His mixup is pretty annoying and his damage can actually hurt you, but it's not as bad as most other characters. We zappa's are used to worse crap

6P vs puffball will work on normal puffball or FB puffball only, and only if you have no forward momentum. Best idea is throw attempt or block. Jam is actually weak to Zappa in a lot of ways: He's able to get out of her pressure easily, her mixups aren't too effective versus him (flame kick is easy for him to block and her dust is the only real mixup threat), and defensively, she can't deal with how many low pokes he has. Naked/Unsummon: -This is pretty straightforward, she's going to either put the pressure on or try to put some distance between you two. Solution: Easy summons time. Most experienced Jams will attempt pressure, especially against Zappa since they want to stop you from getting a summon. The fall back to this, is that her moves, despite fast, are easy to counter with summon or 6P/5K. -Her most important poke that she will probably use is 2S. This move is fast and will defeat most anything she tries it against, but loses horribly to 6P or summon. -She may also attempt a 2K or 2D, which are easily 5K'd. You want to block low the majority of this match, since 5K is really fast but hits low and can lead to annoying combos, despite the fact it looks like it will hit mid. -Once you get a summon, simply be wary of wakeup DP and you should do ok. Ghosts: -Off knockdown, oki is very strong. Throw a P ghost, and if they try to parry it, you get a free 6P into combo. -If their smart or lazy and block the ghost toss, you still want to put on pressure regardless. Keep them from attacking properly, Jam's are pretty easy to catch in frame traps (very impatient and aggressive). -Ghosts are good since she can't get away from them without using predictable Puffballs or dragon kicks, so take it easy and watch how they move to punish them. Sword: -Better than you might think it'd be. Very fast pokes will stuff close range attempts, and 5HS will stuff nearly anything on the ground (Her 6HS can be trouble but a well timed DP will stop that). -2HS and DP are too awesome. Any air attempt is quickly beat with these two (including command jump, with and without FRC). DP will often beat crossover attempts because of it's huge range as well. Swordswipe generally defeats puffball dashes. -All around, awesome summon to use for this fight. Very frustrating for Jam's to fight because it's right in their usual range of effectiveness, yet they can't do anything to it's attacks. Dog: -A bit tricky to use, since she's so fast and has a few multi-hit moves. -Good to use for free counter hits during blockstun though, and once you get pressure it becomes the same as vs anyone else with DP's, bait the attack then punish with resummon. -Pretty decent, though not my preferred summon unless it's the right situations for it. Raou: -Pretty straightforward, just watch out for puffballs and DP's/dragon kicks. Don't whiff edguy, very likely that you'll get stuck in a loop for it. 6HS is even riskier than usual against Jam as well. So that's pretty much it. This match is probably 6-4 in zappa's favor, But Jam can still be a pain to deal with once she lands a hit, since it's pretty much automatic stupid loop-huge damage combo from there on out. Look out for her strong blockstrings and tick throws, since she all she needs is one hit and your in trouble.

j.D is just easier to hit. If I remember right, Dangief did some testing and it's only one point of damage difference, so it really doesn't matter, though you theoretically CAN FRC j.H and land another one into sword spin if your a tricky bastard. Or maybe even j.HS frc j.D, I dunno.

Hm that's an ok combo if you can do that FRC, but you can get more damage out of 6P c.S f.S 2HS(1hit) swordswipe FRC 66 5S (either works) 2HS (1hit) jc/sjc j.K j.S jc j.S jD Swordspin. This combo also works off swordswipe FRC, particularly on counterhit it works well, just take off the 6P.

lol I love how an anji player suddenly appears on the zappa forum to say that. Phrek, I'm an amazingly aggressive zappa, so I like to bait them into trying to hit my 6P so I can land free 5K's. That's why I suggested it.

Damn, I like that setup. Especially because 6P is easily replaced with 5K, making it a great tool. I'll have to do some testing to see if I can work it like a frame trap or if the blockstun is enough time for the enemy to do something after 2HS.