Tsukahara

Wow! Thanks for the really in depth feedback. I won't respond to everything because it's so much, but I'll note the main things I was thinking during the matchup. Even if I lose space, I usually choose to backdash, block, or try 2d round start against venom. I' don't like round start jump personally, just because I don't like the pretty big risk behind it. I'd rather hang back and build resources before going in, even if it costs me some life in chip damage usually. I definitely noticed similar stuff, that I do bt.K bt.H waaaayyy too much in this set, as well as that I wasn't getting optimal air damage using j.s out of habit. Matches prior to this in weekly casuals felt like he was respecting the 2nd rekka too much, so I kept trying to go for it out of habit and didn't adapt. I didn't really stop to think about it until I took a minute during the bracket reset, but I was pretty confident after the reset that he was over committing to mashing against level 2 rekka. I was right and just did 3 rekka's in pressure a few times to kill him for mashing. I know I should be using 5k 6p c.s more, but I feel like i mess up the spacing in casuals all the time, so I kinda just didn't want to chance messing it up in tournament. I didn't actually realize the crouching/CH confirms you mentioned worked, guess I'll grind them in too! I feel like I'm also suuuuuper awful with Leo guard points. I'm pretty sure almost every time I've used them I've been blown up for it, So I tend to just RC on reaction to bursts so I can get the punish instead. Thanks again for the critique! I'll be sure to start grinding these into my play over the next few weeks before Canada Cup.

Hey all, made this so we have somewhere to post video's and request analysis on our gameplay. Guess I'll start this off with a few of mine from a local tournament a few weeks back. I definitely was kinda shaky and dropping combos and hit confirms when I started, but started to pick it up later on. I've already noticed some not good stuff i was doing, and starting practicing to fix it, but I'll wait to hear what you guys think. Vs Ramlethal Vs Venom

So out of curiosity, do we have anywhere we are using to put up vid's for critique? Thought I might throw up some local tournament footage from a few weeks back asking for some. If not I guess I'll make a critique thread?

In the video above linked by FA-ST it shows that 5B > 2C > 2DC works, so I don't think it's usage is corner only. I also doubt these are optimal, but 3.2-3.5k meterless in the corner isn't the worst by any means. Especially if C normals are as fast as they look. I'm a bit concerned that the A orb change now makes some midscreen combos not work, as well as it just not working at all in the corner. I have only really seen corner combo stuff, Does anyone know what our midscreen bnb's turned into?

I don't recall if they were standing or not, and can't check at the moment, but I think it works on most. The increased Lvl 3 cancel speed is pretty crazy fast, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was. Also SATOU MATCHES HERE I can't watch it all until tonight, but if people see cool stuff in here they should mention it. If not, i'll probably summarize stuff he has found already at some point tonight.

Yeah likely they likely have enough time to RC into a combo from level 1 mistfiners. Judging by what I saw on stream, as well as some stuff I had a friend who is in Japan right now test, it looks like combos are going to be vaguely similar to below. (at least based on day 1 stuff) Grounded level 3 MF allows > f.S 6h Mist cancel f.s 6h to combo. I saw people just doing f.s > 6h > RC > 66 > f.s > 6h MC > f.s > 6h for really good damage without spending the level 3. Midscreen at level 0 -> 5k > 2d > coin > f.s > P MFlvl2 > coin > 2h > Air P MFlvl2 > air buttons into zweihander. Seems mostly universal. He isn't a Johnny player but said he could do it on most of the cast easily. Also saw Satou doing some super cool corner stuff like f.s > K MFlvl2 > coin > 66 > 2h > j.d > land > rising j.d > Air mist cancel > j.d > Air P MFlvl 2 > coin > rising j.d > AMC (Air mist cancel) > j.d 1 hit zweihander. Link

Definitely happy with how he is looking so far from that footage. I was hoping to something like lvl2 low into recoin 5h zweihander or something to get knockdown, but alas we only got some basic routes. Still really looking forward to the wave of info coming soon.

Yeah I figured if anything you could only squeeze one more j.k/j.s at best so swapping 5k for another j.k is probably the best idea. Is that consistent across lightweights too? Thanks for the link, I'll dig through your stuff and see if there is any other combos I could do more optimally. It would be awesome if some of these could be added the the opening combo post. I know that Leo's combo theory isn't hard by any means, but digging through people's individual Youtube channels for more optimal combos is kind of a pain.

For the reset, what happens if they forward tech without pushing a button that extends their hurtbox backwards? And what happens if they try to tech after the 2s? Do they tech out? I feel like people would just tech with FD in the air then you just get pushed out without getting a mixup or reset. I dunno I don't really like 6p resets for that reason.

Hey all, Dunno if these are known, but messing around in training mode I found you could get even more damage than I thought for 50 meter with bt.H near the corner. 260 dmg for 50 meter is a lot more than I was doing previous to this though. Might even be able to squeeze more out of these, but I felt like I was pushing the combo timer to it's limits. Easy hit confirm for no effort - https://youtu.be/mZ9l3dPuE4A Buffer the super for this one - https://youtu.be/-K9qyydyWV0

It might have less range, but I doubt it was cut down that much. I admit it's entirely speculation, but I'm thinking it likely will be between the size of Koko 3c and Ragna 5c (both which are pretty good in neutral), and roughly 13-14 frames. Which lines up pretty close with their normals. Fireballs are good for approaching and covering some of his weaknesses, but there are a decent amount of characters in this game that just don't have to care about them. (Tager, Azrael, Hakumen are the most obvious for this) I hardly think he is getting crippled like you make it sound. Midscreen CH's that will be more easily gotten will lead to like 2k and pressure at the bare minimum, the same as a lot of other characters. And meterless 3k combos sounds bad for Kagura, but I doubt those are optimal/final yet, and with the min scaling on kagura's super, we likely will still do 4.5-5k with 50 meter. I think if anything these changes are helping him keep up to the rest of the cast. So he doesn't bulldoze people, but he doesn't get bulldozed by anyone with a better neutral game. Either way though, this is all speculation, we don't have the game yet, and more things can still be changed before we do get it, so no need to fret just yet.

I feel like this might be the most viable version of Kagura yet. The biggest struggle for Kagura has always been neutral, with nothing great to cover the space between 6b and 5c. I personally would most definitely take a version of Kagura with a much improved neutral game, assuming 2c and 5c are as fast as I hope. Right now it feels like we crush characters with weaker neutral than us, but any character with better neutral makes us cry. (Hold that Ragna 8 frame 5b) I'd rather play and win neutral a few times with good pokes instead of trying to 2-hit KO people. I disagree that Kagura is going the direction of Ragna though. Ragna's D version of ID is basically just used for combos, either damage midscreen or wallstick in the corner.His C dp is strictly worthwhile only as a reversal. Kagura's C DP is basically everything it always was, Reversal, anti-air, and now a combo tool in the corner. The B version still has it's uses though, just as a better anti air. Leading to full combos off CH near the corner, and anti-airing with significantly less commitment. (Expect to die or spend your burst if people bait your C dp as an anti-air) I don't feel like his combo theory has really changed that much since vanilla, we just traded wall bounces for wallsticks and moved drives around. I do wish B orbs were as good as they used to be though, hopefully that is one thing they bring back.

Sorry, I guess I forgot to thank you for the previous critique, so Thanks! I've tried to make a few updates to how I was playing previously. And I'm back with a bit more! I did a recent FT5 with our local Haku, and while I feel like I did ok after I warmed up a few matches in, I still feel really uncertain about this matchup. Counters are really strong against pretty much any kind of Drive pressure, but if you don't try and pressure him, he just builds meter and eventually hits you once and does all your life. (Which happens quite a few times in this set) I think I should probably just stagger my drive strings a lot more if I'm going to do drive pressure to bait counters, but I think that's maybe pretty risky in itself. Lastly, woooooww Haku 5d can be held way longer than I think it can, and I just ran into it a few times thinking it would run out before my move actually came out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFrs5RIG7cs

Hey All, As I'm trying to take BB a bit more seriously now that Kagura improved a lot in this version, I figured I would post here requesting some critique. Vs Jin Vs Azrael Vs Koko Some things I noted rewatching my own videos, -sometimes I 6DC a bit too predictably -I do a few drive strings a little too often, usually things that end in 5DA into backdash, which I get blown up for a few times. - I feel like I crutch on j.c a little too hard. I think I use it mostly because I don't like the feel of committing to such huge ground pokes like 5c/2c all the time - I drop 2da > CT a loooot in these sets. But I've been grinding it and feel like it's getting more consistent after this past weekend. - sometimes I autopilot old kagura stuff still like 2da > 6da and die for it - I find that I'm not always holding charges when I need them in combos, so I get stuff like 2DA > 5DA > nothing sometimes -I get hit low a couple times for trying to flashkick in true blockstrings - I should be looking for bigger gaps - I should charge anti air flashkick more, as I think I let people approach from the air too much - should pressure more with fireballs and frametraps rather than just going straight to drive moves. I started doing it this weekend with pretty ok results. just stuff like 2a 5bb (4)6a and sometimes throwing in c normals too. Helps break up the standard pressure and vary it up so it's harder to just guess/react to predictable drive strings. I was also learning some matchup specific stuff in some of these sets. Got blown up hard by not respecting koko 3c enough, and after more sets, I don't feel like kagura has an answer to it really. you stay on the ground, she can do max range 3c 22a 3c 3c 22a 3c 3c 3c as much as she wants, because it's not negative enough to 2c her back, and if you jump, she still has good anti airs, or a lightning trap covering her from your approach.

Nice! thanks for the video Necro. Definitely going to start using this.