legacy49i

CSEX Noel was probably my favorite, too. CP Noel is really different from all the others. Also, CS2 Noel was GOD. Probably where a lot of the salt comes from. I would admit, though, that she was pretty brainless and OP. There were like 2 combos that would work anywhere and on anyone and would take 4k, and you could just mash it out. However, I was a Noel main since CT so I REFUSED to let the hate get to me. It wasn't MY fault that Arcsys decided to be SUPER friendly to Noel. Besides, it's not like every other character hasn't been OP at some point. I would say CSEX -> CP -> CS2 -> CT -> CS1. CS1 Noel sucked.

Makoto is a bad character imo. Her range is pathetic. I suppose if you really take everything into consideration, she might be balanced. Her LVL3 Drive hits have ridiculous hit stun, and she's the only character who can parry. It's also like how Carl isn't considered sucky even though he has the lowest HP and can't dash because he has that meat shield / teammate Nirvana. If you put a character in the hands of someone who can use them to their fullest, then it's all good. Noel is a good character to start with, since everything is pretty easy to pickup and understand. Though it's one of those "Easy to learn, difficult to master" type deals. By the way, since you started with CSEX, you missed out on a lot. CT Noel - CS1 Noel - and CS2 Noel were all very different. CS2 to CSEX was probably the smallest change, and CP Noel is very different again. Just for kicks you should give CT Noel a try. It's like fighting underwater! XD

Are you new to Noel, Blazblue, or fighting games in general? When I started, I had ZERO fighting game experience. I'm no expert now, but I do view myself as competent. If you want to get good, you gotta put your time in, so don't get discouraged if you're not good right away. One step at a time. And don't get pissed when you lose, because it's gonna happen. A lot. Just pay attention to your losses and learn from them.

I will also offer my assistance. If you need any help, I can also provide. I'm a Noel main since the beginning in 2009. I also sub Ragna and Tager, in case that info is helpful (though my CP Ragna is terrible...). Shoot me a PM if you ever want online matches.

No worries.

Matchup seems the same as it has always been. Just mind that 4D won't beat jump-ins like it used to. He's a pretty basic character in comparison to the full roster, without many specific tricks or gimmicky game play or anything. You really just need to focus on your basics. Good blocking, stay low and watch for his overheads (6B, Gauntlet Hades, and that new scythe move, whatever it's called). Watch for his DP, which will hit you airblocking without barrier. Man, I really can't think of any specific hints. In CSEX I would say just abuse the shit out of 4D, but it doesn't work like that anymore. I guess the best thing I can say right now is that Ragna has about the most standard hitbox in the game, so make use of that to maximize you combos and get the most, and the most damaging hits in all your combos.

Not really the same, but just in case you didn't know, if you land a raw Counter Hit Spring Raid, you get free reign to do almost anything. i.e. j.D whiffs, and as you land you immediately go to Spring Raid and your opponent tries to punish your whiffed j.D but gets hit (Works a LOT more often than you'd think). That Counter Hit is like gold. As they come down, you can 5B into a full combo, or 6C to launch them to the corner, or just do whatever.

Depends. If you're in the corner, Drive pressure -> Bloom Trigger will give you that wall stick for a full corner combo. Midscreen, a correctly guessed drive mix-up probably won't get you very far, but don't ever discount anything. If your opponent is low on health and you have full meter, a rapid cancel to a short combo with Fenrir ender could get you the match. Also, if you land Noel's Drive 6B in pressure, you can do as LunaKage said and use Bloom Trigger 1st hit -> Muzzle Flitter, because Muzzle Flitter is (iirc) an unprorated 1400 damage, which is a HUGE buff for Noel. It's seems to ALWAYS be worth the Heat to get that Muzzle Flitter in.

Not the point of my post.... Yes, there's like a million things an opponent can do in that gap, but the point was to do different, unpredictable things at that point to force your opponent to play it safe, rather than assume you'll always go for the overhead or whatever they've grown accustomed to. And that string was just an example. That philosophy could be applied anywhere in your game plan.

Looks pretty legit. Am I the only one who thinks 4k Fatal Counter in the corner is just stupid? In CSEX it was easy to get nearly 7k. I think a 4D FC would even net you the 50 Heat for Fenrir at the end. I think this combo would be improved if you subtracted the 5A. Is it possible to use 5B - Chamber Shot instead? I'm not at home so I can't try this. Also, you can NOT use Spring Raid, but use Assault Through instead for the corner carry. I'm not sure how damage output compares. I may play around with this when I get home and report any good findings. In any case, has anyone broken 5k with no Heat?

Best advice: stay unpredictable. Once you get the hang of things you'll start to develop habits. If you play against the same person often enough, they'll figure you out. So, don't always do the same things. You should learn several strategies for mix-ups and choose between them to keep your playstyle fresh. Here's one example: A lot of people become conditioned to 6B following a 5C. If you see this happening, a 5C - Muzzle Flitter will teach your opponent to never assume and will make 5C - 6B a viable option again. Of course if you're seeing a DP reversal, then stop short and block after the 5C for the same effect.

I wouldn't say dash cancel "as soon as you can". I would say dash cancel "at the same time". You have to do the 66 while she's still in her Silencer animation. I do 22C66 with no delay at all in between.

Seems you can get pretty good damage with Chamber Shot and a Rapid Cancel, but its better to just keep the Heat. This go around, Noel is about the same mid-screen or corner. I can't really decide if I like that or not. Having better damaging options mid-screen is great, but losing easy options to 6k in the corner sucks.

Well, considering that you're new to this, there's a lot to take in and I can't really boil everything down to a simple answer. If you want, you can PM me and we can meet online for some practice and I can give you some live advice.

Assault Through is also easy to punish with throws. Especially Tager's 360/720. I used to get 360'd out of AT all the time until I learned to quit doing it.

:/ I'm always exchanging or getting hit on a 2A. What's up with that?

Now here's the thing: The j.D - 6C - 2D - 6B doesn't work on everyone. I know it doesn't work on Bullet. In those instances I change to j.D - 6B - 5C - 6B. Is that pretty much the best way to go in those instances, or is there anything that works better?

It's the 5C - super jump cancel that gets me. I can't seem to get a feel for it. For whatever reason, I find it MUCH easier to do 5B - sj.B - j.C. In any case, if you omit the 1st 5B, and after Chamber Shot, do both 5B - 5C, then do both repetitions of d.6B - d.5C at the end WITH OverDrive Fenrir, you can get 5.7k. Also, it seems pretty easy to fix a messed up super jump cancel by simply changing the j.D to Revolver Blast - j.2C. The combo as a whole is VERY flexible. I like it quite a bit.

I don't believe I've seen this combo posted yet. Either that or I missed it somehow. http://youtu.be/Jx1rPqP2GXA I've gotten anywhere from 4k to 5.7k depending on which moves you use, who your opponent is, whether or not you OverDrive, and if you use Fenrir or just a Drive finisher.

I like these. I will give them all a run when I get home. THANKS! I'm still teetering between CSEX mentality and CP mentality. It'll be a while before I can clear out all my old muscle memory.

Good to know. Thanks!

What about Heat gain? Worth consideration? Also, after, say, a throw or Muzzle Flitter, is it better to 5B or 2B to continue the combo? I see that 5B will still hit a downed opponent. I'm still very used to 2B - 6C, but it seems that they want you to start using 5B - 5C now. Any proration benefits or whatever that would make one option definitively better than the other?

Yeah, so I lied. What I was doing didn't do nearly as much damage. However, is there any reason you do 6C directly after the Assault Through instead of 2B - 6C?

That's no bueno. I was pretty used to wallbouncing people 8 or 9 times into super.

Ok, so basically all they're doing is calling out SMP now. And you're right about fewer SMP moves. I think in CSEX, all of Noel's Drive moves had SMP, and I think I've only seen it on her starters and finishers in CP. I've been trying to find a way to build 10 SMP moves so I can loop, but can't seem to find enough moves in a single combo. If it CAN be done, I'll figure it out eventually...