SkyKing

6C(2) means to let both hits of the move connect (where she actually shoots the gun diagonally). Also, to hit the 4D, make sure that you hit second 6C low enough so that the 4D is given a chance to hit. It might feel like you are doing the move late, but 6C is pretty fast, so you can delay doing it until they are just about to hit the ground.

Online it may be fine, but Tager's can reaction Sledge Optic Barrels, so use them sparringly. Also, whenever you get the chance to after 214A, go into the Tager specific haida since that nets an incredible amount of damage and heat gain for you. If you don't know the haida, then just do the standard BnB combo. You'll need to be patient in this matchup, play hit and run if you have to, and make sure you can adjust to what the Tager is doing.

Sweet, so new iteration = different D to mash... Stay gdlk, ArcSys. Though I'd really like it if 6D gets it sometime down the line. :D

Seems 4D is the way to mash in this version. Doesn't matter what type of approach, Yuu always used it in that vid.

The thing with this is that it's not taking into account at what distance each character is most effective at. Sure, against Tager it's better than most, but then Noel is just as vulnerable as anyone else in Gadget oki, and she needs to be much closer than those other characters you listed to be effective, so the distance and invuln are sort of canceled out by that. I'm not saying that our backdash is horrendous, but the gameplan that she is designed for leaves it to be much less than what we would like.

No Haida loops to speak of right now as the repeat proration changes nullify that. The best thing that's been shown so far is the 22B whiff into the rest of the shots during the second rep of the haida.

Not bad, except that it still is off a 3C starter. We know we can get nice damage off of those, but what about off our other normals? Gotta test some of these once we get it here, unless we can see some of the Japanese start exploring this end.

Damn, a Noel player in Austin, huh?

No concrete information, but we really do need to be more aware of things like delayable sledge and 3C > magnet stuff that he can do to keep us within his favorable range.

I've already got some ideas in my head as to the applications of j.D new projectile invuln. I can see it being really helpful in a couple of match-ups, namely Rachel.

KOF music~

Alright then, sounds good. Just look for "OzShinji".

If you'd like, I should be available tomorrow evening for some games. I haven't been playing these past couple weeks, so I think it'd also remind me of what her spacing game should look like.

It seems like a pretty crazy, but decently viable option depending on the player that's using Plat. I think that Plat players actually have different mindsets depends on which item they get, so they might bet too reliant on using bat like a DP and trying to mash it out of pressure. You can always just test it out early in the match so that you aren't put yourself in such an unfavorable situation because Noel can always run it back.

Ah, that R Action that everyone has. Seems like they really wanted universal options to be prevalent in this game.

I wanna see if Chie's bicycle kick has a opening to exploit somewhere. It's already feeling bad when everyone who is shown playing Chie is mashing that move like there's no tomorrow... =/

You also need to watch out for Rachel's that feint during you blocking George's animation. People tend to forget that if she does nothing during the blocked George, she is at advantage and she will punish a panicked Counter Assault. Just confirm if she does something during George.

Well, the 22BBBC portion also give a nice chunk of damage, so when you omit that part after a 214A you are missing out on extra damage and heat gain. I've always made it a priority to stick that in whever it's possible so that you maximize your advantage when you have it.

For myself, I like to go around talking to people. It doesn't have to be about the game either, although most of the time it will be. I feel more relaxed when I can socialize at the tournament since it doesn't feel like I'm being alienated or left out of things.

I generally treat this match-up the same way as well. For the most part, I like to play around with the spacing by constantly being in and out of Hazama's optimal strike zones and hoping to bait an Ouroboros + Movement option from him. I also like to air-throw the areas that he might move to after dodging a Chain because he can't stop himself once he starts moving that way. As for the ground game, I treat it like Noel, where he can be pretty nasty with his stance stuff as well as his normals, except his normals can actually lead to some nasty damage. Constantly look out for stance habits from the Hazama to know if he gets 214D~B happy or if he's the type to create space with normals so he can run away. All in all, this match-up feels like the one who can control the pace of the match will be in the advantage.

Also, Hazama's will use chains as a feint and not just with D~A. They can purposefully leave it short and go into one of their other movement options in Chain and throw out another one after the recover. He's just slippery to deal with no matter where he is on screen. Our drives are decent answers, but he can adapt to them just as we can adapt to his drive gimmicks.

Nowadays, I use online more for gathering information rather than trying so hard to win. I'll just try something in training mode that I theorize and jump online to see if what I'm thinking of can work on most players. I'll go in with the mindset of knowing that combos will drop, and that I can always run it back because both players are in the same situation. Just keep an objective in mind while you play online and you should start seeing results. I'm also a netplay warrior because it's the only way I'll ever get the quality match-up experience that I'll need for getting better.

Tourney nerves you can only really limit by being exposed to the environment enough. There isn't any other way to tackle that problem otherwise. You can calm your nerves a bit by playing in casuals before the tourney starts, having music that you like to listen to, or even bringing something for good luck. In regards to your actual play, you should really learn not to rely on drive so much. It seems like anytime there was dead space or neutral you pressed drive hoping to hit, especially with the random j.D's that didn't really have a purpose to them. Work on your normals game and pressure. You want to make the opponent work for their wins, and that includes understanding what they do when they are under pressure. Drives can only take you so far, but if you fight people that know when and how you want to drive, you will want to have a back-up plan that deals with normals so you can open up your drive game again. Also, work on getting the optimal damage off your hits. Noel's basic BnB off 2D should be landing at 4.5-5k. And if you get those weird hits that seems difficult to complete a combo off of, try as best you can to finish it with any sort of damage. People get afraid of her raw damage that sometimes they blank out on resets that are either intentional or accidental. Use that to capitalize on your opponent and finish them off. You don't always need to go into a full drive string either. There were so many times where you would throw out a CR starter and auto-piloted the combo, even if the drives didn't connect. Work on adapting and confirming whether the drives hit or not, and you can always use OB to end your drive strings semi-safely. Also, along with drive string limiations, you also shouldn't go from normals to drives too much either. Drives aren't good strings, and you should really only be using them sparingly. Stick with your normals until you can read what your opponent wants to do.

Also, Tao's movement should be her best defense in this matchup. Noel doesn't have the tools to combat a hit-and-run strategy, so she is left to rely on good reads and guesses. Juking and feinting to make Noel whiff a 6A or drive is very advantageous for Tao, and if anything else, use that mobility to reset your position and continue working the in-and-out game against her.

Still kinda sad that they didn't put in Vanessa or Whip, but I'm good with Kyo and Iori getting their more prevalent versions in the game if those speculations are true. It'd be kinda hilarious if they somehow manage to put either Geese or Rugal in just for the hell of it.