TITANIUM BEAST!!!

Generally speaking, I think ID rapes Valk because of how his dodge movements work. I tested way back when Valk first came out on JP PSN to see if his mixups could avoid reversals through the use of the backwards wolf shift, and ID just stays out too long for him to avoid it that way, he flies right back into it. If you ever suspect a wolf shift, just ID. Bit of theory in that, but it seems consistent with testing that I've done. Also, supposedly 6C is backdashable on reaction? Need to test more.

Ok, so here's my idea (since I've been practicing again for SB:R). We can use the last few posts of this thread to compile combos that will go in the first post of the new combo thread. The idea is to create a solid base for new-ish players to build off of, then use the thread to discuss other ideas. Once we've got a good base, I'll close this thread and open the new one. As far as number of practical combos, it will vary depending upon what you feel is practical, since that's a matter of opinion. When it comes to serious play, I like the idea of "simple is best". There are a lot of combos you could argue would be practical from a theoretical perspective, but once you're actually playing, your style will dictate what you think is practical or not. I'm a fan of simple stuff that's flexible. That way you have something easy to fall back on while still leaving room for creativity if you wish.

AC+ matters a teensy bit.

bump AGAIN We need some non-Gamefrog gaming this weekend. Gotta get sharp for Season's Beatings, so GG and BB gogogo~!

lol it's a trap

Yo koogy, any updates on that order? Can't wait to get my mitts on that messenger bag.

Hrm, I dunno, sometimes 5C will still hit your backdash and then Carl can get hurt kinda bad. Another thing to remember is you can chain into 5B from 2B with Valk, so he can actually do 5B-2B-5B...as pressure for as long as he is in range, plus a slightly delayed 5B can hit Carl out of a backdash. He can also do 236C to hit your backdash, but that's riskier for him. I dunno, maybe I'm testing it incorrectly. I admittedly don't play Carl and I'm posting here because the Valkenhayn matchup threads are still closed. In any case, Instant Barrier seems to be the best way to go overall. The only problem with that is that you aren't able to punish his 5B on block anymore due to pushout, but I think you're generally better off not having Valkenhayn in your face in the first place, plus Instant Barrier really limits his offensive options.

At this point I think it's ONLY me for NC GG. Sad life. =( I'm really looking forward to playing everyone though. Hoping to learn some new stuff from the HOS players, seeing as I barely get to play anymore and I'm sort of in a rut with him.

OR - Titanium Beast! - NC - Fri-Sun (I think) FUNK DAT

Wassup guys, I'm coming to this. Guilty Gear!

Tested a little bit, "spam" Vivace is not exactly right, you have to pick and choose sometimes. A-Vivace is usually safe, but at certain ranges 5C will actually CH you for trying, even if you IB beforehand. Also, 5B-2B is seamless even if you IB the 5B beforehand, trying to Vivace out will result in getting hit crouching and eating 5C-236C into combo. B-Vivace loses to 3C more often than not. So a string like this: 2A-5B-2B... ...and then mix between 5C and 3C is solid for beating Vivace spam. Still worth guessing to get out, just you can't spam it. Also, from my testing, if you IB his 5B and try to interrupt his 5C with your 5A, it will actually trade more often than not. Mash 5A is still good against most of Valk's more gimmicky setups.

Just...how is reaction time overrated? How? I could understand if you're talking from the standpoint of someone with bad reaction time, but even then there are tricks to enhance that...like understanding your opponent's options and anticipating them, but not actually doing anything until you see what you're looking for (AKA reacting). Also lol @ reacting to mixups. My view on it is, if you can react, it's a bad mixup. Good mixups force you to guess.

Double BE adds at least 10 meter in most combos, sometimes more or less depending on the combo. 22C combos can be wonky, depending upon how much effort you're willing to put in. The reason this is important is that with most of his combos, that extra 10 heat makes the difference between having a RC available or not having it, and Ragna pressure with meter >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ragna pressure without meter. I don't think it's a MAJOR difference, but it's something I think most players take for granted that can make a significant difference at a higher level of play, especially playing a character like Ragna where that one opening you get is really important. I'm more concerned about how the BE change affects his mixup options after his combos. The inability to juggle with 3C or do some of the random run-under stuff makes his mixups a bit weaker after a combo, and that's one of the only times Ragna really gets to just pressure his opponent freely.

second page NO THREAD

Soooo, how wet/dry is your apartment? We could do games/food, if people were up for it.

Cool. So if anyone is doing anything within about an hour drive of durham today, lemme know.

check yo PMs alexstrike

lol wow, valkenhayn makes a great scrub killer.

I liked the Shen a bit more. Also, lol at the oldschool CH double SDM at the end of the match. Shen WOOOOOOOOOO

That's pretty good! Her boobs are too big though. Even Mori would complain.

I understand that POV, but the fact of the matter is that Jayoku could not be a FC and it'll still be just as good as it is now. This is the point that people keep skipping or ignoring for some reason. Like, we're trying to make a value judgement on a move based on its usage as a FC. Jayoku FCs a LOT, but the FC is almost meaningless, so who gives a shit? Like I said, best move that just happens to have FC property. That doesn't make it the best FC move, if you follow.

But the argument is that Jayoku's FC property makes no difference, so why is it the best FC move? It's like saying that Jayoku is the best move that just happens to have FC property. I think Carl j.B is a really good example of what people are talking about. The difference between normal hit and FC for j.B is like night and day, plus j.B has a high probability of getting a FC due to how it's used and what an excellent hitbox it has.

Um, unless you're just throwing out 2C willy-nilly, you should almost always be in range for at least FC 2C-6C with Ragna. If you have meter, that's gonna be 8k. It's not hard or impractical, even. If you can do 6D-j.D(whiff) loops, you can do 8k off of FC 2C. If it has a serious weakness, it's that someone with a Burst can screw you over for trying or force you to do a really suboptimal combo. Of course, free damage is free damage, and a baited Burst in that situation usually means death, so it's whatever. Also, lol at Makoto having easy-to-use FCs. Her D moves are terrible on block and in some cases they leave her in CH state, level 3 or not. Stay Bladelike, Blade.

Going back a little, I would say that with meter, Ragna can reliably get 8k with FC 2C using Blood Kain. Key word is 'reliably'. 9k+ only happens if you are already in Blood Kain, which usually works like this; you bait some huge move (like houtenjin) with a BK activation and then FC 2C their CH-state recovery, chain directly into 6D and start 6D-j.D(whiff) loops. This is how you get 9k+ with Ragna, it can happen in a real match, but it's not common at ALL. As for 2C not FCing often, depends on how you use it. You're not gonna see it in the typical frame traps because most people are not going to swing on Ragna during his blockstrings unless he commits to something. Like, 2AxN-2C is a good frametrap until people realize they can just block and wait for him to push himself out or do some slow move that can be interrupted on reaction. It's STILL a good string due to how many options 2C gives on block, but FC in that situation is rare. On the other hand, run up naked 2C in ambiguous situations is far more likely to FC (since this is BB and people don't like to block on defense sometimes), plus the options off of blocked 2C are good enough that you can still start an offense if it's blocked point blank. It can actually be better than 2AxN in this respect, especially since it gives +1 on normal block and has a great variety of cancels for mixup purposes. 2A is much more flexible though and the pushout is a definite factor when you're playing Ragna. I agree that Hotaru is probably the best FC in the game, though it's almost the same as the Houtenjin scenario where Hotaru is just a good move period and the damage boost off of a FC coupled with how likely it will FC in a real match is questionable. The basis of that argument is kind of silly though, because how often do you see a CH happen in a serious match in almost any fighting game? Good players like to block.