mixedmethods

Catching up on YouTube now, since I couldn't watch live. Y'all are amazing. Just wanted to share my thanks as a lurker -- it's always a treat to see strong players face off and it helps scrubs like me so much, so thanks for keeping these events alive, Token, and thanks to the participants for displaying their skills. Whenever Omex does his analysis, it's an IK to my heart. Info players, unite!

Yeah, my bad. I was thinking of Shadow Yosuke, not normal. 200 HP isn't going to be make or break. His amped moveset is damn encouraging, though, and gives more "hits" to his "hit and run." I've been working on a pocket Yosuke but the Ultimax footage makes me want to main the guy. He's good at flying around the screen. I fly around the screen. When I play Yosuke, people respect me because they think I'm doing it on purpose. ???? PROFIT.

Given the changes, I think we can probably start phasing out the term "Yosuke damage." I'd say he's moving up a tier. Yosuke was never bad, but he's a serious contender now and is able to do more "hits" in his "hit and run" style. Also, his health is getting buffed, making some MUs much more favourable simply because they're no longer "get hit and die" situations.

So is there anything of value in his command throw/236B? I was hoping we'd get more mix-up options off that but it seems like 236A is combo fodder and ... that's it.

New Yosuke looks amazing. I am so, so tempted to pick him up in earnest now. I was more hyped for Yukari and Junpei when they were announced, but Yosuke is just ridiculously good. Damnit.

If you're not fully dropping the combo, you're getting off easy with lag. I've had 20-30 seconds of screen freeze with occasional slo-mo shots during matches. You can see if playing against opponents with fast connexions solves the issue. It may also be a gap between "I can execute this flawlessly in the lab and against Hell-level CPU" and "my brain pulls a 'you can stay, but I'm out of here' whenever I fight online." (No, I don't suffer from the latter problem.) Test and see. Can't give you more than that, unfortunately. Mitsuru's DP is one of her best reversal options. But use it cautiously, because better players are almost certainly baiting you and will punish you hard. Whatever you do, don't be predictable. LordKnight has an amazing defensive game and mains Mitsuru, so check out his videos for ideas for how to deal with pressure and reversal options. I don't even play Mitsuru much but I study LK's performances for his insane defence. (Not slighting his offence, but he handles being put in the corner like it's not even a disadvantage.) Mitsuru has great normals and huge damage potential, so don't be afraid to block if you think anything else is going to leave you on the wrong end of a combo -- you will get your chance to go for the kill, so don't get caught mashing buttons. Use the air version as much as possible, as it's safer, and watch your hitbox against Naoto and Chie since their DPs are counters. Beware the deceptively lengthy active frames on Yosuke's DP. Some characters have godly DPs. Some don't. If your opponent does have a good DP, then expect them to use it and make sure you know what your punish options are so you can take that tool away from them. If people are DPing out of your pressure, you need some combination of the following three things: (1) True block strings and/or better mix-ups; (2) Better reactions and reads; and (3) To punish that shit. Narukami's DP is air unblockable on first hit and he can cancel into Ziodyne or, if he's in Awakening, Cross Slash. Sounds great, but he's completely vulnerable from the back, so you need to cross under his DP and teach him that his DP is your chance to put him in a world of pain. There's nothing like watching Narukami fire off Ziodyne while his opponent is behind him. (And I say that as someone who subs the guy.) If he doesn't have 50 meter, punish a blocked or whiffed ZIOCAR/Swift Strike, because it's massively unsafe without the meter to OMC. &c. Narukami wants to put you in the corner so he can run his oki game. You have a few meter-dependent options: don't let him put you in the corner, spend resources to get out if you need to (Guard Cancel or Burst), or disrespect him. He has no normals that are plus on block and a lot of his game is unsafe if he mistimes his safe jumps, which is your cue to go in. His 50/50s are obnoxious so go to training and try the following with Narukami as your opponent: set health to "Regenerate," turn off Awakening for both of you, start with empty meter, and make Narukami a CPU opponent. Anywhere from 40-60 works for testing, then raise the difficulty as needed. After that, head to the corner and let the CPU do its thing. You'll see his high-low options with adjustments based on how well you've reacted to it (if you block a high-low, expect the CPU to start trying two lows, then a high, etc.), along with throws, sweeps, etc. You can do the same thing in Versus with the goal of stalling the rounds to time out. You're going to lose, but the goal is to survive after being put in the corner. You may start recognising the CPU's patterns, but you'll at least know what Narukami's mix-ups look like. Same thing with Naoto: practise blocking Double Fangs but spend time in Versus learning how to get in against her, preferably with the difficulty cranked up. Again, you're going to lose, but you need to test your safe/unsafe approaches. The match-up threads should have more specific info, but the methods above are how I train to keep improving fundamentals and raise my game, so it may help.

I have a similar stick (Hori RAP NA-SA), and 236236/214214 can be an execution nightmare until you've completely locked it down in muscle memory. Try feeling out all eight points and checking the input log; while it's possible it's a stick issue, my first guess is execution, if only because I'm working through the same thing. (P1 side is way weaker than P2, so it's just a matter of practise.) Of course, I am an utter novice, so... I don't know how much comfort it is to know that I have the same issue. For me, 2 is the hardest number, so 22 inputs are something I've been drilling. I don't know how the Hori sticks compare to MadCatz in hand, but from video, it seems like it's harder to ride the gate, so you have to be on point with those 21s and 23s. I was going to suggest taking the QCs slowly and checking against input log as well -- also be careful with button presses, as coming in too fast can wreck you. Knowing what the game accepts (24214X, for example) can also help you tighten up execution, or at least it did in my case. Assuming it's not a stick issue, I'd drill those damn 214214/236236 motions until you've got them solid. I have a move that side swaps, so I do reps of 214214-236236 until I have "x" number executed perfectly, non-consecutive strings don't count. I can feel the instant I've botched the input, usually due to raising my speed and subsequent sloppiness. I do a dash to chunk the input log, then repeat. Once you've tightened up the double QCs, start working that part of the combo. If I had to guess, I'd guess that you're trying to do 214214/226236 quickly during the combo and speed is triggering mistakes. Yes, you need to be quick, but watch those 2s or you'll add a 1 or 3, possibly skip the 2 entirely.

Well, I usually play Aigis, so if Chie doesn't need Agneyastra, I'm on the losing side of the round. Baiting High Counter is something I tend to do, as I'm watching for Chie to activate it anticipating 2B or any of my bullet-type moves during keep-away situations and the neutral game. (Or if I've blocked a mixup and Chie is baiting reversal.) The ability to shut down Agneyastra is huge for me, as Aigis has options to tap Chie or Tomoe during the super and keep Chie from starting rushdown... depending on the gap between theory and practise. Fatal Counter off DP is tricky but at a minimum it might stop Chies from spamming it to get to Agneyastra, and potentially change the neutral game. If I condition a Chie to expect 2B, knowing they'll DP it eventually, I can delay 2B or switch to Vulcan Cannon and score a Fatal Counter, possibly a FC into a combo if the spacing is favourable. Maybe. Not likely. It's still a fairly safe DP, and Chie's still going to be ridiculously strong, but since Chie can use her DP to force Awakening while Aigis can't, anything that makes the match-up slightly less "first to gain momentum wins unless you're Chie and have Agneyastra as a get out of jail free card" is fine by me. Or I'm reading the data completely wrong. More than anything, I'm glad to hear about the Agneyastra changes. I don't want Chie nerfed to oblivion, and it's not like Aigis doesn't have problematic elements of her own, but no one should be able to reset momentum whenever they please by firing off meteors. (At least Narukami has to OMC Ziodyne if he wants to run full screen.)

As someone who plays against Chie, I'm wondering about the change to Agneyastra. Does this mean it's actually possible to halt an incoming mix-up after Agneyastra? It seems like Chie players may have to be more careful about using that to reset momentum, though that's probably just wishful thinking on my part. I've been able to punish bad Agneyastra usage when it's thrown out while I'm playing Aigis (it's situational -- Orgia movement can jump the last part of the super and let me boost in to keep Chie from starting a mix-up), but if all I have to do is tap Chie or Tomoe, that makes my life much easier. Total scrub/feel-free-to-call-me-an-idiot question: Fatal Recovery on High Counter -- does this mean throwing out Chie's DP to get to Agneyastra is no longer a safe option? Interesting. (Edited because I was able to answer my original question. Sorry.)

Eh, I use the default layout for P4A as well, but that's more force of habit and lack of a better idea. With ABC/D or BCD/A, I can rest my hand on the stick without missing a button and BB's dual and triple inputs are no problem. I haven't found a comfortable/secure way to place my hand for P4A, and the BB options don't quite work, as with BD, AC, CD, AB, ABC and ABD in play, something goes awry if I don't stick to the P4A default. It's not an awful setup, but it's not as intuitive as BB's options. How quickly you adapt probably varies by person and by stick -- I use a Hori RAP N3 SA, and sometimes I wish my hands could be modded.

There aren't any complex motions in P4A or P4AU -- just quarter-circles and double quarter-circles. I switched from pad to joystick when I decided to get serious about FGs and haven't felt tempted to go back to the pad. Personally, I'd say to continue using a stick if that's what you're most comfortable with; that being said, the biggest problem I've had with P4A is finding an optimal button layout. BB's layout works perfectly with the game's commands... P4A is something you'll have to feel out for yourself. (Or it just felt strange to me after internalising BB's Light-Medium-Heavy-Drive arrangement.) I've heard several players say that Yukiko becomes difficult to play at a high level off the pad, but I can't offer any first-hand knowledge on that issue. I've had P4A for almost a year but only started taking FGs seriously in the past few months. As far as Ultimax goes, the commands are essentially unchanged (BD is your DP, still quarter-circle commands, etc.), but everyone's getting a few tweaks. Nothing you learn now will hurt you later, as the fundamentals -- air dashing, OSing grabs, etc. -- aren't changing. Everyone's going to be feeling out Shadow Berserk mode once Ultimax actually arrives, so now is as good a time as any to see if you click with anyone from the original cast and develop good habits. As an aside: status effects are a huge part of P4A, but since you've played the RPGs, you shouldn't be too thrown by them. Shock, freeze, charm, fear -- they all make an appearance, so watch out!