Kakimori

I also play on pad, but my thumb is kind of fat, so I can't rest my thumb on D and B without also hitting A and C when I try to piano. In Extend I could sort of do the combos because a lot of them did not require the input immediately after switching, but this is kind of rough :/ Thanks for the advice!

Question: I can't do CP Valkenhayn's basic basic Wolf Combo, w.[A > B > C > 6D > A > 5D] > 5B and onwards. The 6D into A is hard enough for me and I can't get it 100% consistently even after practicing it for hours at a time, but I can never get the 5B. Either I input it too early and w.B comes out, or it's way too late and they've already teched. Is there any way to better understand the timing on this?

No more 2C > 6C? What are they doing to Valkenhayn??

Hey, new (3-day-old) Azrael here. I read the Strategy Guide, Overview, and Combo pages (you guys are awesome!) but I still have a few questions. 1. When would you use 6A? Because of the guard point it feels like it would be useful after a blocked 5BB but faster characters just mash 2A so it would get caught out anyway. I never really use it unless I just feel like pressing a different button. 2. 2B > 5D seems awesome, but what can I get off a raw 5D midscreen meterless? Just TCL? 3. 2C > 6D > STUFF also seems good, but because you basically have to input the 6D instantly after 2C to land, there isn't time to hit confirm. Is this therefore a bad idea? 4. How do you usually combo into your Valiant/Bunker? 5. After a LW Bunker, what's your go-to combo? I.E., do you prefer j.2C or j.D? 6. Will 2C frustrate a counter-heavy Hakumen? (I can't remember if his counters still affect projectiles. Obviously it's a bad idea as an AA against him.) 7. Given that 3D/6D are so slow, when is a good time to use them? I've taken to using 5C > 3D as one of my mixups after a crossup j.B, blocked or not, but I wish I could incorporate these two moves into my gameplay more. 8. What in god's name can Azrael do to Taokaka? Thanks to anyone who reads my wall of text… >_> Also sweet mother of mercy Tager and Nu are stressful

I'm hoping we can get a guide for Kagura started, because I just came back today after a few months off and woooooooo was I getting my ass beat. Having to basically relearn him from scratch and I'm not even trying to optimize combos right now, correct me when I'm wrong: -2A is our best poke at mid range. -6D~B or 6D~A is basically a 50/50 when they're locked down under [4]6B. -2D~C > 5D~C > [2]8C is the best ender for most simple combos? In general, should I be following up blocked 5C/2C with 2D~B into ?? or with [4]6A/B? What is best to follow up 5D~A on block and on hit? When should 5A be thrown out? (I'm guessing out of 2A range but inside 5C range?) What is a good time to use 2D~A in a mixup? Seems like 6C and j.C are our best AAs? How safe is it actually to throw out 6D~C? When getting rushed down, do you prefer to footsie with 2A or try to flash kick out of it? Anyway just looking for tips/advice since I'm far from a good player and hopefully like I said we can get a guide started from some of this stuff

It worked out OK for me but probably just because I was up against a lower tier of Hazamas.

Well, I actually hold back a tiny bit after the 5C, so it's like…5C > half step > [4]6B. I do mix it up with A but I've never gotten poked out of the B that way…what should I look out for? If Hazama successfully lands a chain then he'll just be on you from dusk to dawn, but if you can read it and start your 6D~C a moment earlier, since its hitbox is so big it pretty much stops air and ground chains. If he's mid screen, he has no real way of getting in on Kagura other than chaining so it can be predictable unless you're against a really good Hazama IMO. If you accidentally 6D~C into his block, you can 5D~A and backstep out, which is not at all ideal but I've also stuffed Houtenjins with the 5D~A XD Altho Kagura can reversal out of chain pressure, can't he? I'm used to playing Valk so it feels very weird to actually have a reversal to escape pressure…Valk is more like jump > wolf > GTFO GTFO GTFO OMG RUN

Wait wait, 5C > 2D~B is a tight block string if they don't instant block the 5C?? I never knew that, I've always been going 5C > [4]6B. Never had a huge problem getting zoned with Kagura because 6D~C is so good if they get predictable with their projectiles. No better feeling than stuffing a Hazama chain...

Well, I always liked 5C and used it a lot in my neutral game so that's somewhat good news for me XD I assume you mean offensive falling j.C as pressure btw, not some sort of rising defensive j.C?

With the big wolf cooldown nerf, does Valk play a lot more human in neutral now? Poking with 5C and such?

FML, I know I'm late to the party but they nerfed her AGAIN? Can someone break down what the 6C changes mean? Is 6C > JC > j.B/j.C > land > blockstring still semi-reliable for pressure if they're not expecting it? Also, did this hit console yet?

Since we lost 6B > 3C gatling, what is supposed to be a good followup to blocked 6B now? Do we just have to 5B > whatever? Or is transform the best option? And, uh...is w.B basically just combo filler now? Or does it still function as his second best anti-air after 2C? Kiba, thanks for the combo practice tips. (Midscreen: w[j.A/5A > 5B > 5C > 6D > j.A > 5D] > 5B > 5C > hj.B > j.A > j.B > dj.B > j.C]) I see people looping his w[6D > j.A > j.B > C] or so sometimes, is that just for corner carry and not a BnB?

My God, this D change is going to take so much time to get used to. You have to be precise as shit on your wolf transformations 100% of the time or you're going to flat out lose. Ugh.

I'm really liking 6DC > 5DA as a "safe approach" option, stuffed a Houtenjin and god knows how many other things with it today. 5DA is just great in general.

It's true that 63214C and fireballs add a lot to her, but playing today I realllllllllllly felt like she took one step forward and three steps back as a character. 5BB nerf, 2CC nerf, j.CC nerf, j.D nerf, 236B/C mid-combo connections being wonky as hell...

I already looked in the Combo thread, but since all of Valk's old BnB's are basically GONE, can anyone give me a simple-as-possible combo to practice how his new wolf form combos work?

Oh my god what did they do to her 2C?

I'm on pad too, I don't think it has much impact on his charge moves. Just make sure to hit the directions clean, so hit a clean 6 after your 4 for the fireball for example. A lot of his moves can buffer charge into the move, so when you start your 2D~B animation, for example, you should already be holding back so if it connects, you can release a fireball for oki. For the [2]8B reversal, I find it helps to press up-forward instead of just straight up on the PS3 pad. I'd also like to know about ways to work supers into his strings.

Been playing a bit and have the following observations. 1. His backstep is great! Dunno if it's Valkenhayn level, but the invincibility frames start early and it moves him quite far back. 2. 5D~C seems like his best anti-air based solely on the amount of time it stays on the screen. You can throw it out early if they're moving toward you in the air and rest assured that it won't whiff, and you can buffer [2]8C in behind it as well. 3. 5D~A~44 > 5C > [4]6B is, indeed, pretty cool esp. to maintain pressure in the corner. 4. 2D~B is reallllllly unsafe to attack with raw because there's a sizable pause before the move actually comes out, which means it'll lose to mashing ALL the time. I'm going to start using this after blocked 5C or 5D~C as a matter of policy. 5. 5C juuuuuuust outranges all of Ragna's broken shit, which is awesome! 6. Despite all the dash moves, his mobility is really kind of...bad. Played an Arakune earlier and he was running circles around me, it was pretty sad.

I don't know, what would you do after 6A? It IS possible to block on reaction. You could 5BB > 3C > 5D~A~66 > grab or something?

You can definitely stutter-step 5B too.

I'm not sure how safe or legit this is, but I've been having a bit of fun with the following blockstring/reset: [something] > 5D~A~44 > 5C > [4]6B You can hold the second [4] of the backdash to make the fireball come out instantly after the 5C is blocked. Holding it also inches you back a little just out of the range of most moves. It lets you do something like: 6D~C If CH, combo. If blocked, 2D~B. If 2D~B hits, throw fireball for oki (be holding back during the move). If 2D~B is blocked, throw out 5D~A~44 and finish the blockstring. Definitely not ironclad, but it's the best semi-safe blockstring I know of so far.

5B/6A is a good high/low mixup, however, 6A is slow and 5B has absurdly short range. 6D~A and 6D~B is a cool mixup, but I don't think either of them are completely safe, either (even if you chain from them). The command grab also has absurdly bad range, so I haven't seen a lot of potential for mixup between that and 5D~A yet. It seems like he's a character who needs to play defensively in neutral until he can find an opening to start his mind games. If the opponent spams projectiles, 6D~C can go through them (has anyone confirmed whether this works with Hazama chains?) for a CH and combo, and if they try to jump in he has some good anti-airs, but you always need to be thinking and planning a step ahead (especially since his DP, which is probably his best anti-air, can't just be thrown out). I'm still not sure if he has any good options after blocked drive moves.

Is that a non-CH starter? I can't seem to land it if not CH. Works with 6D~A, though.

From what I have seen, you can't use orb to end a blockstring because you can only cancel drive moves into it on hit. If I'm wrong, I'd be very happy but... It works perfectly well from something like blocked 5C, though.