SkyKing

Just tried it. Staggered will score a CH. And following with anything that isn't 2D is very unsafe since the starter speeds are still the same as CS1. And even if the mid-CR speed has been increased, it still isn't very safe to throw out. And in the case of 5D, you pretty much have to input it moment right before the move will hit you, so any kind of yomi attempt will get stuffed by the tail end of those moves.

Well, frame trapping is easier with 5C now that 2C > 5C is a gatling. And people do still try to do something after 2C since it looks like the end of a blockstring. And 5D is pretty bad to use now as a yomi move. If you do try to read and anticipate with 5D, you will be hit out of it. The adjustment on the invuln frames of 5D make it even more for reaction than anticipation, and meaties will beat out 5D clean.

Well, now she's got a truly "safe move". With IB nerf, it goes down to 0 and not a negative. It's even more usable now as a frame trap, especially if they try to poke out something after it and you stagger a 5C and possibly get a counter hit. Also, with 2A being +1F as well, we can start applying safe pressure with it and ending with 2C.

It seems there is an even larger window to continue with CR than before. You can be almost to the reloading animation and press another button, and that next CR move will come out. In a way we have a method to stagger pressure with CR, or maybe even have time to read a counterattack and react accordingly like with Spring Raid or Assault Through. She's looking to be trickier and trickier the more she's getting played...! EDIT: Tested some more gatlings. 2B > 2C will combo together. So now, you can do 2B > 2C > 5C > 6B as a possible fish for overhead, and go into 3C for a haida pickup. Also, with 2C being +3F, you can always opt to end the string there and possibly go for a 66C to find a CH if they want to throw out something after your initial string is over.

It's almost at CT level, but not quite there. I find myself using it a lot more now that you can do 6C > 2C > 5C as a block string that can gatling to 6B, 3C(pretty bad), or BC whiffed. It's crazy how a couple tweaks to her gatling string can totally turn her pressure game upside-down.

I'm just thrilled that Noel can consistently do 4k+ midscreen, even off of non-CH hits. Something the rest of the cast except Makoto don't have.

True enough. I'll see if I can actually contribute to the combo side of Noel's game this time around.

There's gotta be a way to break 10k with an optimal combo. If anything, Luna will find it.

Loving the Reload > 2B pickups! It seems like that's going to be the way to optimize damage off of 5A/2A starters. Non-haida damage seems to top off at 2.8k from those starters.

Yeah, I remember that video. Seems like she's got some nice combo linkers now, just in case on drops or if you aren't sure if the link will work and want to reload before the reset yourself.

Ah okay. That also feels the same from CS1.

What do you mean by throw recover? The whiff or the recovery after a throw is landed? Also, Optic feels the same regarding the frames. It may start faster now, but the recovery still feels the same. They are -3, -6, and -9 respectively for each Optic Barrel. All in all, it's not something to abuse, but it is certainly an option for controlling space a bit. They'll mainly be used for combos anyway. EDIT: I believe we have 5B, 5C, 6A, and 6C as our air-unblockable normals.

Yeah, I believe that trading our 5C with someone else's anything can actually give us the advantage for once. Especially if it trades with an airborne character, theh we might have enough time to recover and pick up the combo.

It did increase though. CS1 5C is level 3, and CS2 5C is level 4. However, they increased the startup time of 3C from 19F to 20F, still making it not 5C > 3C'able on non-CH standing.

That reminds me, I hit a Thor mid-screen and I somehow was able to get really close to the opponent. It felt like hitting it in the corner, but I clearly remember mid-screen because I jumped over them for j.4D right afterward to see if it would work.

She can get good damage midscreen off optimal starters, but most of the odd normals hits do about 3.5-3.8k, which is still about what we can do in CS1. The haida now is a lot more universal and is good for increasing damage output, but with everyone else getting mid-screen nerf you can get away with not doing Haida loops. If you can learn them, then it's a bonus for you. If not, then you still have really sick damage options and wall carry.

She seems a bit faster than she was in CS1, but not quite the level of speed she had in CT. It is still there though. And I think the hitstun and level increases in her moves really help her hit-confirm and land combos.

Since Valk's normals eat at Noel for free in this match-up, what should we look for when approaching or trying to counterattack his pressure? I know for sure you can't aimlessly jump at him for fear of eating an anti-air 2C into big damage.

The game feels faster during neutral, but slows down while pressure is being applied. Not the game itself, but the flow of the match feels changed. Noel herself plays very similar to her CS1 self, just with much better normals and gatlings. I just had to get used to her combos with OB and different drive links, and overall just not jumping out of pressure, especially against Ragna since everyone now has universal air-unblockable normals.

Noel (Buppa) vs. Makoto and Noel mirrors

REPOST FROM NVG: OK then, CS2 Report now: First off, Noel's normals - So good now! 5A - I used as a pseudo-anti-air and to extend pressure mid string. The increase in level is really noticeable when you beat things out with it when you would normally trade in CS1. 2A - Possibly our go-to normal for starting pressure. The change from 8F to 6F changes the dynamic of this move so much. Can also be used to poke out of staggered strings, and the JC'able properties of it I used for instant j.4D for the opponents who liked to press buttons during your block strings. 5B - THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! IMO, her biggest buff in the game. The increase in range, hitbox, and level make this her choice move for poking and footsies. It hits crouchers easier now, and the replaces 5C in punishing unsafe strings. The true value in this move now is with the additional gatlings that you can do now after 5B. You can go low with 2B or 2C, overhead with 6B, continue string with 5C, or jump cancel to either reset position (jump back or IAD back), continue pressure (jump forward of IAD forward), or do some trickier stuff (Instant j.4D or 4D FC fishing). 5C - Not much change in use from CS1, except now I used it as her air-unblockable normal for distances that 6A feels unsafe to throw out from. The increase in level makes it a crazy CH anti-air move, since you can throw whiff > 6C right after. 2C - Crazy good for string enders. The +3F advantage allows us to continue pressure, especially by resetting the pressure using 2A after you confirm a non-IB'ed block. Gatling into 5C also creates some distance after blockstring so you can be safe from certain ranges, like some characters' A moves. 6C - Amazing hitstun on CH, and almost back to CT (just don't AA with it. >_<) I stuffed some attacks that were used as pokes or fishing, like Ragna's j.C that wasn't optimally ranged, or certain ground attacks that don't have the same startup as 6C. The wallsplat helps in continuing combos from mid-screen wall carry that reaches the wall, and the hitstun allows combos to utilize the throw whiff from CT. I found 4 to be the magic number of 6C's per combo, setting up the OB link, the wallsplat link, and to link into the finishing drive combo. Drives - LOLInvuln? Her drives don't feel too different in uses from CS1. The only noticeable one is 5D. The changes make it harder to time invuln tactics, as I kept getting hit out of it before the move comes out. 2D feels like our go-to drive starter now, even more than CS1. The damage potential off drive starters have increased as well, averaging well around 4k, haida loop-less and meterless. Also, j.4D is legit! I mainly used it as a surprise tech from JC'able moves, and to catch waiting anti-air attempts from air-unblockable normals if I don't have a second jump after teching. The low hit property and FC potential really make this threatening, especially against aggressive style defenses that look for reversal hits rather than blocking. Overall game - We Fire the First Shots CS2 Noel almost harkens back to her CT self, taking a more offensive approach rather than a defensive one. However, we still need to be wary of characters that have faster jabs or longer ranges than we do. The air-unblockable normals now make us more needing to really understand where gaps in block strings now in order to poke out or jump out safely. The combos aren't actually too hard to adjust to, it still the same routine we do, just different inputs mid-combo. Anyway, part of the report done. If you guys have any more questions, I'll see if I can answer them.

My experience with CS2 at Anime Matsuri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzofUy58i6s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yur5A_26Cs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM_z71ow_vs

Noel mirror and Jin vs. Noel

Noel's 2D is only really good now because she can actually give out pressure without everyone's everything beating it out. 2D cross-up isn't that bad considering her low options don't give her as much damage potential as her high ones, except for 3C which can be reacted to. Just block high against her... She still can't break primers that well like the other RTSD characters can, and her hitconfirms off regular hit normals are still really bad.

He probably took it down because the CS2 Mook has it listed as only JC-able on hit again. Until there is confirmation of it being otherwise, it's safer to not list it.