Dreize

Certain characters like Jin, Bullet, Noel, etc have...less than desirable aerial hitboxes. You may experience a bit of trouble now and again but it does indeed work on them. It's usually a height issue, which will occasionally cause the 236C to whiff. Yes, of course. For instance: 5C > 6D > j.A > 5D > h[5B > 2C > 236C] > 9D > j.B > j.A > 5D > h[5B > 236A > 2C > 6B > 2C > tk.214B > 6C > 3C > 236B] [3075 DMG, 22 HG]

Do we need an Amane section? Now that I think about it, we probably do.

Thanks. Yeah, I left them out on purpose. My rule was to leave out OD combos, throw/command throw combos, and Wolf Sweep Loop combos. I initially had a Midscreen to Corner throw combo listed but I felt as though if I had one throw combo I'd have to list one for every part of the screen (plus command throw combos too) so I took it out. As for 6A combos...I just can't. Hah, no problem dude. Any character specific info that you guys provide is really helpful as well. Thanks dude, I will! Sucks that the timing isn't universal, I love that combo, seems like something that'd be good in the long run too. Simple yet very effective, seriously underrated worldwide. Only good for players that are confident with their execution though. The timing seems to be split into different groups, I'll do a whole character specific write-up on the combo when I get the chance. For now I'll just switch it out with something else though.

Added the section. Tried to be as concise as possible but it's really damn hard for me since my brain contains a Valkenhayn combo encyclopedia, so I limited myself to 20 combos. The cap didn't allow me to cover everything I wanted to though. Section is open to critique/revision.

2nd video, at 3:46. That was godlike. LOL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQUxlVUmRoI#t=227

No problemo. Also, I believe that you meant to put 5B > 2C > j.D since 5C > 2C > j.D doesn't work. Edited the OP. I might end up using that combo a bit too, nice. I'll be creating a recommended combos list either later today or tomorrow. This is going to be a bit hard though because of my own personal biases, might have to make it multilayered or something, but I'd prefer it if it's short & concise.

Thanks dude. Edited the OP.

Yes, 5C > 6D > j.A > 5B is universal but the IAD > j.B > j.C afterwards isn't. Sometimes you need to delay the 5B before the IAD as well otherwise you wont be able to get the 5B follow-up.

6C > 2C > 6B > 2C > tk.214B > Forward Dash > 2C > 236A > 2C > 236C > 2C > j.B > dj.B > j.C 3556 dmg, 25 hg. Only useful if you run out of wolf meter while pressuring the opponent in the corner and land a 6C confirm afterwards. Also... 5C > 6D > j.A > 5B > IAD > j.B > j.C Works On: Amane, Nu-13, Platinum, Valkenhayn, Tsubaki, Arakune, Izayoi,Terumi, Azrael, Bullet, Ragna, Litchi, Relius, Makoto, Taokaka. Works On But Must Slightly Delay The 5B Before the IAD: Hakumen, Mu-12, Tager. Works On But Can't Get 5B Follow-Up: Carl, Noel. Doesn't Work On: Bang, Rachel, Jin. Haven't Tested On: Kokonoe, Kagura. If someone could test it on Kokonoe and Kagura for me that'd be great.

Use 236A instead, should give you more time.

Nah, we actually did a private FT20 and you beat me 20-8 with nothing but Hazama's infamous unblockable 6B. The struggle. I was trying so hard to get it too! Wanted it raw so badly. I've failed my people. On the plus side, I finally got some matches in with a Kokonoe.

Err, sorry about that Surf... GG's to CrysisEdge, Star-Demon, OmniSsythe (why), Koopa (we still kinda played, right?), limey (I played him in my imagination at least), and everyone else that I played tonight. BG's to...netflix? This new stick is really taking it's sweet time in getting here. Oh well.

Woot, Souji.

Removing the ethernet cable from my ps3 and setting up a wireless connection. See you in a few, Biscuits.

GG's Magaki, cross-continental netplay never ceases to amaze, hah. The Hima vs. Zekuso reference was gold. I managed to get a few w[j.A] IOH/wolf sweeps in there too which was nice. Kept mashing you out of the geschwind cancellable stuff too, which reminds me, I need a 5A (AH) combo. Twas fun amigo! Until next time.

Her neutral game seems to be pretty poor too. Her damage output doesn't seem too bad though. I don't know what to think of this character, she's actually pretty quaint.

Same song and dance, different party. Match-up is pretty similar to Extend. Things to note: -His average damage output was nerfed. In Extend it was pretty much anything into renka > kishuu = at least 4k in the corner, but it's not like that anymore. -His maximum practical damage output on the other hand was buffed due to OD. Try not to get blown up. -Your w[5B] will still trade with his j.B a lot. -His 6B CH now leads into a combo. -His 6D no longer has 1 frame start-up which makes things easier, please keep in mind that his 2D/j.D/yukikaze still retain their 1 frame startup. -His j.D now has a minimum height requirement, hah. He can combo off of it now though. It still has the least amount of active frames out of all of his counters, thus making it something that you wont see often. -He gains meter very quickly now, stay on high alert for yukikazes. -His 2B went from +2 to -4, it still retains all of it's previous gatlings if I'm not mistaken. -His throw game is still great. -His pressure is still laughable. -He needs hotaru to combo off of tk.tsubaki now, you can technically burst but at that point you've already eaten 3.5k from the 2 special moves alone. -He has a new anti-anti-air named agito. It only costs 1 magatama, and it looks like a downwards hotaru but has projectile properties. It will body your anti-airs and most Hakumens tend to follow-up it up with j.B. -His 5D has more active frames, watch out. -2D > Shippu now leads into 4k, try not to get blown up by this. -His j.C now has wallstick properties. -Raw rising j.C hits him crouching due to his large hitbox. -His dash is faster now, it looks pretty funny. -His aerial hitbox is less of a problem this time around due to our new combo routes. -Hotaru was nerfed. And remember, it can still be meatied on wake-up due to the 4 frame jump start-up. -He has this new move called zantetsu, it's actually useful in combos now. You'll be seeing it a lot more. There are more changes that I could go over but this should be good enough for now. What I Tend To Do In This Match-Up I tend to play this match-up slowly at neutral, but not too slowly due to his meter gain buff. I really dislike going air-to-air with Hakumen so my goal is almost always to try and out maneuver him. Cross-under w[5B], cross-up w[j.A], 4D/7D shenanigans, well-spaced footsies with wolf mode, etc. Hopumen players love to jump around a lot, and a (AH) w[5B] confirm will almost always lead to the corner even in CP, thus it's usually my ideal hitconfirm at neutral. Watch out for some of his bigger hitboxes like j.2C and j.C. Remember, when you're going for a w[5B] anti-air confirm you're not beating him out due it's invulnerability (it's invulnerability is garbage, from frames 4-6 only), you're beating him out due to the sheer speed of the normal (7 frames start-up) coupled with the fact that you can freely run around with it via wolf mode. Because of this, you should always try to space yourself accordingly. But, watch out for agito, seriously. Baiting his 2C via jump in > 7D is also something that I like doing. On wake-up I tend to opt for highs a lot more now (such as rising w[j.C], which is a great starter) simply because his 6D no longer has 1 frame start-up. Overall his defensive options were definitely nerfed. Once I get in I try to be as relentless as possible but also stay cautious as getting blown up due to a bad read/mistake is not something that I enjoy. Poor Hakumen player vs poor Valkenhayn player is in Hakumen's favor but strong Hakumen vs strong Valkenhayn is probably in our favor. I enjoy this match-up nowadays, which is most likely due to it being my most played match-up in CP. The footsies can be pretty fun and you can really go to town on him for the most part. I may add on to this later.

Which reminds me, why does her pressure feel so weak? Is it really that bad or is something missing?

I don't base player skill solely upon win/loss ratio. That's far too black & white for my taste. Additionally, one does not simply block 3 overheads in quick succession. And yeah, I noticed that are using that super far more often now. Never used to see it before, ever. I expect big things. Not sure why you would torture yourself with an xbox controller though, but to each his/her own.

You're still not as bad as me though. What controller are you using?

Didn't even care about delay just wanted to press buttons with Valkenhayn, hah. I guess this is what not playing for a few weeks does to a person like myself. GG's limey.

Haven't played in weeks but I might as well get a few last games in with this pad before my new stick arrives. Send me an invite if you're interested.

Wait, you guys haven't been holding 1 up until now? Oh.

Combo thread will be updated again this weekend. Just gonna leave this here as a sort of mental note to myself: 5A/j.A > 5B > 5C > 6D > j.A > 5B > IAD > j.B > j.C > 5B > sj.A > j.C > dj.D > h[j.C > (j.C)] Stable On: Platinum, Nu-13, Arakune, Izayoi, Azrael, Terumi, Bullet, Valkenhayn, Ragna, Litchi, Hazama, Relius, Makoto, Taokaka, Mu-12. Doesn't Work/Unstable On: Bang, Rachel, Jin, Tsubaki, Amane, Carl, Noel, Tager, Hakumen. Notes: -Combo must be performed very quickly, do not delay anything. -This combo is the "middle ground" so to speak. -Works better as a midscreen to corner type of thing, please pay attention to screen positioning.

Thanks for all the insightful responses folks. Didn't expect to receive so many. Two things to note: 1. This combo 5A/j.A > 5B > 5C > 6D > j.A > 5C > 236A > 5D > h[2C > 236A > 2C > tk.214B > 6C > 3C > 236B] [2784/2711 DMG, 19 HG] is universal. The timing isn't though, you'll have to adjust accordingly. I'd only recommend this combo to Valks who are comfortable with most of his other combos and want to take things to the next level. 2. I'm sure that most people know this but corner combos that involve Aerial 2C > 236A are a bit odd on certain characters like Azrael, Izayoi, etc wherein the 236A will pop them out of the corner. I know that different people remedy this in different ways (delaying the 6B, delaying the 2C, etc) but I've found that the best/most consistent way to do it is just to slightly delay the 236A after the 2C. I guess I should add this to the combo thread F.A.Q.