GoBL1N

Thank you, can you give an example though? you mean like 5aa > a bug hits then try any of the curse setups? so basically i'm not comboing from there im just trying to do a reset? sorry again im below average arakune right now also i have an opponent friend who always blocks low, whats a good 6a starter during curse? I see: 6[a] > ]a[ > j.c > a bug > c bug > j.1cd > d bug 6a > 4b~5cd > b bug > c bug > d bug do both of these actually combo if done right assuming the first hit lands? also for setups such as: 214bcd > b bug > c bug > d bug Fake cross up, beats all tech options Is this just a total guess as to whether or not they will block? if they just block my c and d bug are wasted. so how do you know when to commit with the cd and d bugs.

Ok thank you so much! I had a feeling it was j4]b[ what does plink mean? Thats the first Ive heard that term. I will try to do it so that it lands in front. So basically the jc should land as early as possible. also this is sort of random, but because of my low level, players often don't respect my pressure even during curse. sometimes I get a random 5a to land because the opponent tries to grab or poke out etc.., what do you guys usually follow up with if a random 5a lands?

Can any advanced arakune players please help, I'm not understanding some of the curse setups: j.66[db] > CURSE ACTIVATED > ]6bd[ > sj.41236[a] > d bug 1 > 6a 5aa (stagger pressure) ​5a > j.cd > a bug > c bug > j.2c > d bug Standard curse set up, easy, predictable, babby's first curse set up. although this claims to be the most basic/starter setup, its one of the last ones I'm able to do. I 5a > j.cd and the d bug whiffs. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Ive tried doing jcd as early as possible, ive tried delaying it, ive tried delaying the j2c as well. The j.1cd version is working for me because the c bug from the jc pushes the training dummy into the d bug (being path'd by the 1). 5aa (stagger pressure) ​5aa~2 > jump forward > 4]b[ > j.cd > b bug > c bug > j.2c > d bug Raw overhead with b bug assist, can delay j.c to turn this into a cross up overhead, cross up overheads beats most dps. This one I don't really get at all. It says you jump forward but then says 4]b[ am I waiting to land to do the 4]b[? or should this say j.4]b[? from the looks of it, you 2b jump forward, land 4]b[ then jump again jcd but I doubt thats actually what you do. help is much appeciated as right now this (curse setups) is the biggest hole in my arakune game. all my curse combo practice is basically pointless if i can't set up right haha. thanks!

thanks for your help ive been practicing the rod setup mentioned previously and have some followup comments/questions is it always possible to get all 3 rods if you are starting from scratch? or do you have to settle for 2 sometimes? what is the point of doing the 5b jc j236a 2d on the second go-through, because its not 3d the lobel seems to land too far away from the corner for it to do damage during BBL or iris for that matter. I noticed that N-O often skips the initial 5b, i see him do frog-hit 5cc then goes straight into jc, how is he doing that and why? when I try it the jc goes right over the oponent for this setups using 5b 6a j236b 2d, since apparently people don't use it, does it mean you can take whatever route you want (like the jc j236a 2x route) as long as you do it right? or does it depend on the character your facing? does anyone have a list on which routes work on which chars?

thank you your right the b bug is helping connect things and also holding d until after the curse is too so that i can do j236c after the the dbug2 and/or follow up with a reset. Since i am trying to take your advice and try to learn the curse setups i was wondering if someone could help me understand: 5aa (stagger pressure) ​5a > j.cd > a bug > c bug > j.2c > d bug Standard curse set up, easy, predictable, babby's first curse set up. everytime i do this the d bug is whiffing and so is j2c can someone explain what this should look like? i have tried delaying the j2c as well. should i do the jcd as early as possible? or maybe go more on top of the oponent? or maybe even past their head a little? the setup later down in the section seems to land more consistently because it uses j1cd instead of j2c

found it for you in case your interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOUSJlh9gm4 go to 1:16:13

thank you thats exactly the kind of advice i was looking for, i wasnt sure what the difference was between 2d and 3d so thank you for clarifying that. ive been trying to use the wind IMMEDIATELY after the j236a thinking that any kind of delay would mess it up but looks like my thinking was backwards. I will try delaying it a bit when i try next time. I see, i honestly didnt know you could hold the input down like that? are there any other times you use the holding method for your inputs? ill have to try that.

thanks for your help i think you are right. so this assumes that if i KNOW the curse will be activated, i dont just j66d, i j66bd? quick question though, after the 6b > j66bd, what are you using to close the gap? should I 66? or am i misjudging the distance and the j236c is doable from where i land after j66bd?

does anyone have any tips for the BBL rod setup in the corner? i usually see (5b) jc j236a 2/3d (repeat a second time) (5b) jc j236a 2/3d 5b 6a 236a 5b 6a 236b 2/3d 5b 6a 236a im not even getting passed the first lobelia before my training dummy techs out. Anyone know some common mistakes that people make when trying to execute this? other players make this look so easy

I realize this is probably a super noob arakune question but thats what I am haha. can someone explain why all the curse setups in the first page all start with j66db? why arent there ones that start on the ground? did anyone ever get a corner curse setup section going? I noticed its still blank. while were at it im having trouble understanding this one: 5aa (stagger pressure) ​5aa~2 > jump forward > 4]b[ > j.cd > b bug > c bug > j.2c > d bug Raw overhead with b bug assist, can delay j.c to turn this into a cross up overhead, cross up overheads beats most dps. it says jump forward but then the next move is 4b, its not j4b? or does it assume you wait until you land?

Thanks all. yeah for now I am going to stick to blocking low against Jin, right now icecar is a way bigger threat to me than that overhead. Not to mention the other low blows I feel like Im taking outside of icecar...Im gonna stay down haha. my jin opponent often likes to follow up with what he feels is the end of his pressure by dashing and trying to catch me jumping out with 2c/6c. I kept getting caught by it alot. If I'm patient enough and I block this, what is a recommended punish? it HAS to be punishable............any followups for this i should look out for should i block it and try to retaliate or escape?

Ah ok i heard the term tick throw before, didnt know what it was. Yeah i kept trying the fatal punish in training mode. The dash is making the catchair miss...apparently it takes too long ill have to work on the timing. I think after the catchair and frog hit you can just do a standard BnB from there, 6b 6a 236a....etc ends up being like 4k dmg! 100% of the icecars were hitting me too theres no way i have the reaction time for that. Is it normal for rachel players to block low when jin is at medium-ish distance against jin? I feel like I should be doing the opposite, blocking low and if icecar comes i punish accordingly, if i feel like something that will overhead me comes i can try to react to that and do standing block. Does that sound like a better strategy for someone at my level against jin? Right now doing standing block and trying to react to the icecar, especially EX version is causing me to take tons of damage.

thank you! yeah definitely seems to be the case. Easier said than done though out of an endless amount of tries i was able to do it a very small percentage successfully. Any tips on the timing? I tried several things: pianoing the 2ad b part so that i have as much time as possible before i land to sneak the 66 in. trying to do the 66 input really fast after the 5b but this ends up making me do a 6b more often than not or just messes up my input more than anything. i have a bad feeling that this has more to do with my misunderstanding of inputs and/or micro dashing. my midscreen 5b 6a 236a dash 3c iris success rate suffers too.

good idea ill find the video and tell you exactly where it happens! ill have to get back to you on that. i actually messed up when describing the fatal combo that punished jin's 623c, it was 5c fatal, frog, dash catchair? i tried putting the cpu on 100 and trying to block...oh it was so brutal jin just tore me up. all his moves have such distance i have a hard time dealing with it his ranged moves. As expected, trying to instablock just got me even more wrecked haha. whats a tick throw by the way?

oh sorry one more question about the combo/blockstring: 5b/5a 9 2ad jb 5b 5cc and 5b/5a 9 2ad jb jb ja jc 5b 5cc when I do this both in the corner and mid screen, the second hit on my 5cc whiffs unless i use wind again. but when high level players do it, it hits without them using a second wind meter. are they sneaking a dash in when they land? are they doing 2ad jb dash 5b 5cc? or is my technique just bad?

sorry but whats a cse combo? question about the corner rod setup combo for BBL. i see people do things like frog hit, 5cc > 5b? (sometimes i see it omitted?) > jc > j236a > 3d > 5b > jc > j236a > 2d > then i forget what comes after but i think its 5b 6a 4b 6a BBL? or i think you can maybe get away with a third rod by doing 5b 6a 236a 6a 4b 6a BBL? that might be too many moves... but my question is, is that the correct combo? AND does it require the frog to counter hit? I keep trying this and after the first j236a 3d my training dummy always techs out... same thing for version where you don't jump but setup rods: frog hit, 5cc > 5b > 6a > 236b > wind (i forget the direction but i think its 2) > 5b > 6a > 236a > 6a > 4b > 6a > BBL after the 236b wind my training dummy techs out. also how do you know which one to do? is there some kind of condition or do both the standing version and the version where you jump twice work fine? also the 6a anti-air counter combo soniti mentioned you can do the samething off a jc counter right? just do the 5b when you land? if the jc doesn't counter i noticed players having to use like 2 wind meter just bring the oponent down to combo. like jc 2d jc jc 2d 5a/6b etc... is that all we can do is burn 2 wind meter to get a full combo off? Thank you for your help and advice

Thank you that actually clears it up quite a bit. But i guess that begs the question, why in such high level gameplay, would someone stop blocking and/or block low after the 2nd jb? if you blocked the 2nd jb theres nowhere else to go but up for rachel its not like shes gonna low blow you...I would see that blockstring done by someone like N-O done many many times and an abnormally high % of people are getting hit around the ja jc portion to which N-O continues into a combo with. Meaning they either are blocking low or they stop blocking period...right? Ok now back on to jin...and i do apologize for trailing away from jin but you guys are so helpful. Jin's seem to be extremely grab happy. Do you guys know any signs that hes going for a grab? right now 100% of grabs are landing on me because my reaction time is just much to slow. any particular movements or patterns or moves that flow into a throw well to look out for with jin? jins 623C, his dp...my friend likes this move. I saw N-O punish this will a fatal counter combo (5c fatal, frog, dash 3c...etc). Can anyone go over that with me? any tips on when i can go in, and what the danger range is for this would be nice. if im just on the ground and he does it thinking im going to jump, can basically just go in and 5c without getting tagged?

Thank you for the frame info. I guess its confusing because usually its worded exactly like that. jin's 5d is -9 on block. but its not specified for who. -9 for jin or for me? Im going to assume the statement means when jin 5d's and I block I have a 9 frame advantage to act. Thank you for the instablock tip, I will give the training advice you gave a try. Good to know the icecar is punishible I will start making sure to attempt that once i get used to blocking it low. right now it still catches me during summons and such. often times he goes right under my lobelia and im really in trouble. the blockstring stuff you told me is extremely valuable to know. I think the reason I keep going over is because im actually getting the overhead hit and doing the second jb anyways! If the overhead lands, they stay crouched and have hitstun right? I will pay more attention now that I have much better understanding of the theory. Let me make sure I get it though. IF j2ad jb is blocked properly it means that my opponent was doing a standing guard and it also means that due to the fuzzy guard (which thank you for that info) even if they try to block low after, they will STILL have a standing guard hitbox until the end of the string? (second jb ja jc). This means that there should be no hits, particularly, overhead hits, after that point it should all be blocked unless the opponent actually STOPS blocking. right? Im only asking this because you said "if it didn't hit, double jump jb etc will punish him for blocking low and give you a stringer combo length to boot". how can the double jump jb punish if it forces them to have standing hitbox? if it didnt hit doesn't that mean it was blocked? what exactly causes fuzzy guard anyways? is it because they are still in blockstun and i am already doing my next it before they can change to crouching? I'm curious if I poke out with lets say 2a and it hits at max distance just at the tip of the cat tail, what are some good things to confirm that into? especially if jin is crouching? i feel like im pretty limited from there. i can maybe do more 2aa 2b 6b? thats all i can gatling into anyways. I can't follow that up with something like 2b 6b 9 j3db > combo because the jb will whiff wont it? huge hole in my pressure game right. I could lobel i guess? thank you again for helping!

yes thats exactly what i meant 5a 6b j66d i buffer the bd bugs? can you tell me what you mean by that? from what I see in practice the opponent is really far away and the bugs miss. especially the d bug.

Thank you for all the responses. really quick can we clarify what we mean by something being -9, -4, or +3 on block? does jin's 5d being -9 on normal block mean hes at a 9 frame advantage on me if i block it normally? or is it the other way around? really 6a most jumpins? that jumpin that keeps getting me, the slash is so huge i didnt think it would win the exchange so i would always just block and eat the blocksting to follow. I will give it a try. being a new player im not all that used to instablocking. Im uncomfortable with timing my guard with the enemy attack i feel like i will just end up taking damage if i dont react fast enough. or is there something i dont know about this technique? 2d really catches me so often im not used to how big the hitbox is i feel safe and then all the sudden the huge ice sword comes up. if i block it, am i free to move around after or try to retaliate? or am i in danger for all the frames its visible? lets say i block 2d at the exact range so that the entire giant ice sword is right on me. I dont feel close enough for 5a/2a to reach, do i have time to dash 5a? the ice sled being punishable, does that include the meter using version? lets say i block the ice sled, what is rps? sorry would be the first ive heard of that. i really appreciate all your help. rachel can be so frustrating to play for someone at my level. this jin player and I have about the same amount of overall gameplay experience but I put hours and hours more work into rachel than he does jin learning combos and blockstrings and it looks like hes confirming everything so easily and just having an easier time overall while i pull my hair out with how difficult the learning curve is for this char. Rachel is my fav char though so I really want to make this work and will put the extra time in if i have to. let me go over one last thing that is frustrating me like crazy. this isnt necessarily related to jin. but because my opponent plays jin its who damages me when i mess up. i put a lot of hours into learning the blockstring: 5a/5b 9 2ad jb 5b - from what i figure it seems to be geared towards punishing a low block with overhead. and 5a/5b 9 2ad jb (use second jump before landing) jb ja jc 5b...this seems to be meant to continue pressure if they block the above string properly..? i think? heres my problem. this jin player, blocks low ALOT. or blocks low when hes unsure where to block. i dont really see me getting a good punish off of 4b, especially with dangerous startup it has. and because we are both low level he pokes out of my strings constantly so is very comfortable staying low and poking. so i incorporated that blockstring to punish him. he caught on to it of course, and started to block higher just for that string. but as long as he blocks low after the first jb is properly blocked i go RIGHT OVER him. heres what i dont get: why would you ever block high after the first jb? if I land, he doesnt get punished for blocking low...land > 5b certainly doesnt overhead him and land 2b is being blocked properly. if I jb again to continue the string, i go right over him. Isn't this a win win situation? with that being said, why would i ever do the second blockstring that uses the second jump? Yet I see it all the time in high level matches. Can someone help straighten out my rachel block string theory here? Thank you!

Does anyone know any jin moves to look out for that rachel can punish? this matchup is absolutely killing me right now. the wolfhead move, his 2d, jin players can sit at a very comfortable perfect distance and keep spamming these and I have a hard time dealing with this. as I have no normals long enough to punish or specials fast enough. if I try to run in after the wolfhead i just get wolfhead'd again. his ice car/sled move...is this punishable? And i cant tell but its either is 6c or his 2c keeps catching me when i try to jump out (seems to be air unblockable). Especially after a blockstring he will dash towards me to follow up and do it. i will try to jump out and it gets me. but if I dont jump away he can just run up and reset his pressure... extremely frustrating please help if you are a rachel player who can deal with this matchup. thank you

Ok thank you. Thats exactly what I was asking. That makes sense since it should start with the d bug it launches them. then i do the j236c etc would if the curse gets actived by...for example, j66d or the spider, or the j236d cloud far away? even if it launches them theres no way im getting there in time to start the combo they will be blocking wont they? The curse setup section starts everything with j66X but wont they be on the ground when i start trying to set up?

Hello very new arakune player here. In the first couple section of this thread... Can someone please explain why both the mid screen and both the corner standard curse combos start with j236c? even in the setup section I only see one setup and it starts with j66X maybe because Im new im just not understanding something but why do they ALL assume that you start in the air? Where are the combos that start on the ground?

thank you that actually helps alot, i didnt know you could buffer like that, i thought u had to wait to recover from previous move. ill try it out. for the iris combo i thought if i tried to delay the 236a that they would be able to tech out but ill try it out. for full confirms off air hits like jc/jc[ch] or jb/jb[ch] or even 6a/6a[ch] mid screen is there any combo u know i should practice? did the ones i list seem pretty regular or do you think they were char specific? i may as well ask while im here, the term microdash seems pretty important for this char, what exactly does that mean? any combo that involves 5b 6a 236a microdash 3c iris i have maybe a 80% chance of the 3c whiffing. am i misunderstanding the term microdash?

this char has such a brutal learning curve its not even funny. so help is very much appreciated. im getting really frustrated trying to main this char ive spent hours trying to get 5bd > 6a > 66 > 5b to land. same problem. if i wait till the 6a ends its too late, if i do the input too early i get no dash and i just 5b in place and everything else whiffs. is there something i need to know or do i just need to keep working on the timing? also if someone good high level rachel knowledge could help... im also seeing mid screen combos like this (i believe rin hime makky does it) (off of iris): iris > 5b jc jc(float) jc 2d land 6a 4b dash 5b 6a 236a dash 3c iris > 5b jc jc(float) jc 2d land 6a 236a dash 3c iris dash 6a 4b dash 5cc after the land 6a the next move either whiffs because the opponent is floating too high, or if i try to let the opponent drop a little lower its too late and its techable or the opponent lands. heres something thats also driving me crazy: ive seen zero and makky land this in the corner: 5b 5c iris dash 5b 6a 236a 5b(optional can be skipped) 6a 4b 5cc heres what i concluded on my own (correct me if im wrong). after 5b 5cc if you think the followup Csword hit will whiff you can use iris if you dont want to use wind. then you can bnb corner combo from there starting with 5b. Ive tried this for hours and the 5b floats the char too much so i have . how are they doing it so that the rest of the bnb can land? I think they also land this off a random iris in a corner block string like 5bb lobel jump j-iris (they do it really fast like barely elevated land and then combo) the last thing thats blowing my mind is confirming off of random air hits like jc or jb here are some combos i see: jb jc 2d land 5b jc 2d jc 2d 6a 4b dash 6a 236a dash 3c iris dash 5cc jb ja jc 2d jump(as opposed to just floating i think) jc 2d land 6a 4b dash 6a 236a dash 3c iris dash 5cc jb[ch] ja jc 2d 6a 4b jc wind jc wind 6a 5b jb jc jc 236a after the air hits the first time i land is usually where the combo is dropped. once again either the opponent floats too much or i take too long and they can tech out or they land. even if i get one or two hits after landing, the opponent will float too much or if i try to wait its techable. is the timing just that strict? i would really love to get these down because right now my midscreen game is basically non-existent if i get an air hit. i either get 2-3 air hits then lobel or i just get that one hit with no confirm. So this is a huge hole in my game. all the combos i mentioned are in this video: it has zero, makky/rinhime and N-O all playing quite a bit so im trying to learn from it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy5zZFJGycM&list=FLkS0FEZs2RQnYHnfIbjQVZQ&index=24 i understand i need to get better and work on the timing. but i can sit there and grind in training mode all day for hours and not see results/improvement (actually...thats exactly whats happening), i wasnt sure what else to do then ask here to make sure someone might know what im doing wrong of if they went through the same experience.