LockedAndClush

Actually Sol's c.S got improvements in 1.1, including increased vertical range. Might explain the differences.

There are a few staple things that you should practice, more or less regardless of the character you're playing. Practice whatever lets you maximize damage from pokes in neutral (assuming you cannot turn this hit into knockdown), have some kind of conversion to corner carry/knockdown for 50 meter or whatever you character can utilize to turn hits in neutral into it. It's also worth it to practice specific situations and converting rather than combos per se - for example, when you read an opponent's Burst, the situation can have a lot of variables. Sometimes you'll find yourself on the ground and close to the opponent. Sometimes you'll be a little further away and won't have much time to close the distance. Maybe you'll even be in the air above the opponent, who knows? Take time to study and practice all these options. Some moves that you'll see yourself using defensively or in neutral open up new combo routes on counter hit. Practice not just comboing from them, but in general noticing these counter hits and converting then. It doesn't necessarily have to be the strongest combo possible, just make sure that your hits are reliable and lead to knockdown, preferably with good okizeme (very important for Venom). Definitely have one strong punish for when your opponent takes high risks and you read them properly. A combo that is reliable, does high damage and leads to okizeme. While having strong neutral game and good damage of it is, in the long run, a much more advanced and scary concept, you absolutely must have a way to punish reckless behavior. I sometimes meet players that have a good sense of what the neutral game is about, but enable me to be reckless with moves (seriously punishable stuff like VV or GV) just because I know that they cannot punish me too hard. This skews the risk/reward factor in a way that goes completely against high-level play. So, to sum it up, in my opinion you don't need anything extremely fancy that the best players sometimes do (it will come naturally once you learn and practice routes), but there's a certain minimum of competency in combos that you need to get some respect from your opponent. Still, you should focus more on converting everything you can into knockdown/corner carry/okizeme and less on adding 10 more damage to a typical combo. Both are important, but the first one is the step to more respectful, careful play from your opponent. Prepare yourself for all typical situations where your moves may connect in certain ways and always be ready to gain the advantage from them.

Been a while since I fought a competent I-No, but there was a time when I frequented that matchup, so I may be of some help. At poking-range neutral, 2S is your friend. You will go under HCL, get a counter hit against STBT (convert to 6HS for knockdown with good okizeme), it's plus on block and even whiffed recovers very fast. It will whiff a lot thanks to her hoverdash, but the fast recovery helps. Don't get too button-happy after she hovers over 2S though. Throwing out 6P in attempt to beat HCL also goes a long way, since the reward on CH is huge. The risk that comes with lengthy 6P recovery is definitely worth it, if you keep your attempts to a reasonable number. As for note at neutral/fullscreen, you have to respect it. Don't expect to get her for using it, focus on not blocking it. You won't get too rush her down for free when she throws it out, but you have plenty of options to avoid it. 2D for example, if it's done at the height you mention, it will go over your head. Obviously that doesn't give you the advantage and she will approach you, but you should recover on time to contest her approach then (keep in mind her YRC might screw this up, since 2D has plenty of recovery). She might get encouraged to do notes very low then, but that opens her up to a free IAD, and you being in her face on your terms is her worst nightmare. This way you can force her to attempt to use not just two, but three "variants" of the note, greatly increasing the chances of choosing wrong. Can't exactly help you with okizeme though, since I never had much issues with it against her. Barring using 50 meter for a super or DAA, she has no answer to anything at all. Safejumps mixed up with empty jump lows and even a simple grounded approach looking for things like 2S>Fafnir or tick WT are good enough, since she sucks damage up like a sponge. Don't overcomplicate it and try to predict these 50 meter option. You can even throw the startup of her ground Overdrive after superflash, which is optimal since it's unpunishable.

Okay, so... Jack-O' is really Aria from an alternative timeline. This timeline is the one in which That Man's experiment with Justice failed, creating a way for the Universal Will to enter the world. As there was no Justice for it to interface through, it sent the Black Beast, creating the BlazBlue universe with it (which later looped infinitely, slowly adding distinct details and removing GG characters from its history). Aria was turned immortal and her memories were erased, and she became Jack-O' in the year 2190 or later. That Man caused some weird rip in time-space-continuum that caused Jack-O' to become a part of the Guilty Gear universe before the time she was actually meant to be born in it and boom, we have a setup for the GGxBB crossover. Just doing Mori's work here.

While I kind of agree that Ky's options seem ineffective, you have to keep in mind that you have projectiles that can be very effective at keeping Sol away. S Stun Edge YRC in particular is a very strong option in neutral, because it will lead to a knockdown/setup on hit, and once you have Sol in a DC HS Stun Edge, he has to either commit to something risky like HSVV or GV, or try to use meter for DAA or BS to keep you away. IAD back air S Stun Edge (even better with YRC) is also really good at catching Sol trying to recklessly re-establish his pressure. When he starts jumping/dashing in instead, switch to air HS Stun Edge. Establish that these options can stop him in his tracks and he will be far more likely to let go and allow you to safely escape. The most important thing when playing against Sol (not just with Ky, but in general for the entire cast), in my humble opinion obviously, is to learn patience and not get forced to play Sol's game just because he connected a few normals in neutral. A lot of time when I play people, better or worse players, the second I connect f.S>2S from max range midscreen, people become overly afraid. While it's obviously understandable that this option is strong for Sol, then there's no reason to let him dictate the pace of the match just off that. Jump back FD>backwards airdash/double jump (once at a safe height/distance) is just one option (particularly good in Sol vs Ky matchup) that comes to mind. Obviously by doing this one too many times you'll just put yourself in the corner, but if you don't try to escape then Sol will put you there anyway with Fafnir, Gunflame or Wild Throw, eating up your meter and health in the process (normal Sol combos hurt, but what really hurts are high RISC combos). That's not to say you should recklessly challenge Sol when he has frame advantage and can go for something very dangerous like GF YRC or Fafnir, but I always have the most trouble fighting against people who are not afraid to back off (theoretically putting themselves at a disadvantage because of the corner), rather than just let me get my game on.

While I'm indifferent to whether they changed it or not, I thought it made sense, at least. Why change so much about the character's looks without modifying her voice, winquotes etc. to reflect that change?

I have to admit that all this stuff sounds very interesting. I'm rather disappointed that Jack-O' is a Valentine (this theme is really wearing itself thin very fast), but the rest seems very interesting. The only thing that doesn't add up to me is that Sol didn't know that Justice was Aria. I don't know from where, but I was pretty certain it was at least hinted that he knows that. Anyway, if all this info appears in the arcade release, then maybe the consoles will get the game sooner than expected (I'd be content with them just upgrading the arcade mode to this, and maybe including a bonus chapter for story like BB does it with Extend releases).

I had a random thought of a badass flute or clarinet lead over increasingly heavy guitars, with a layered dual-guitar/bass/flute crescendo harmony. I don't know why. I should probably write it before Daisuke does though.

There is a thread for this, with a small list of players included http://www.dustloop.com/forums/index.php/topic/9825-xrd-id-psn-europe/ Also (unless my information is outdated, but I haven't heard about anything new in this regard), keep in mind that if you bought the game on European PSN, then you won't be able to play most people, because the EU version doesn't have any of the updates released for the JP/NA versions.

While I don't think that this is something Arc will be able to take out before Evo, I sure hope they remove it from Revelator. I don't mind option selects, but this is taking it a little too far. Some moves get just outright broken with this, and it's not even that hard to perform. This would also explain why I sometimes get specials when I decide to FD upon seeing my opponent press buttons - I would often input a command for a move and then just back out and decide to FD by going to 1 or 4 and pressing two buttons... hooray for throwing out moves like an idiot then.

I've also been getting a lot of dizzies lately. It feels very rewarding to blast a third of someone's HP with a combo and get a dizzy after a successful mixup. Leads to plenty of perfects or insane comebacks. I also love love love the P.B.B. damage increase so much over the last few weeks. While DI is still the same against more... button-friendly players (that is - wait for them to press something dumb and do GV, VV or BB), it really shines against respectful opponents. The combination threat of a long "reach" air throw, grounded throw and insanely advantageous normals together have proven to be tide-turner for me more than once. Harassing the opponent with normals until they're either out of meter because of FD or on high RISC, getting in their face with Bukkirabou ni Nageru and just going j.D>P.B.B.>RC>P.B.B. to watch the unburstable (or Burst-throwing!) salt flow.

He probably means "I can memorize the movelist after two days" or something. When I was 15 I also thought that meant "learning to play a character".

I have a similar feeling. I feel like her ghost summon and Organ based game will be very, very strong, but her normals and D specials will appear somewhat lackluster, and it will later get ironed out to weaken the gimmick and improve the fundamentals. That's how it went with Ramlethal, who was a similarly eerie (albeit not as complicated) concept. Or they'll just pull an Elphelt on us, overpowering her in both aspects from the start. Haha... please no.

That might be her 5HS, considering we heard it's a "capoeira style move".

My (theoretical, of course) understanding of this character for now (based on short footage and movelist) is as such: 22 + P/K/S places a ghost "bag". 2 + P/K/S picks up a ghost bag with the same button, and later you can press 2 + button to put it down, 4 + button to remove it (I'm guessing here, but I have no idea what else it might be) or 6 + button to throw it. 22 + HS enters a stance (it might be what appears at the end of the short clip we have, when she has a ring around herself) that allows her to interact with the ghosts and ghost bags. The only thing I have no idea about is whether the ghosts are summoned automatically (in time intervals) or if you have to press (release?) the appropriate button for them to appear. Still, she looks like a very dominant character, once her game is on.

I apologize for bumping an old thread, but I have a very similar request. I'd like to request a screenshot of Sol (color 7) hitting Ramlethal (preferably color 14, but any is fine) with the second hit of Volcanic Viper, on any stage but the Arena, with no interface, meters etc obstructing the characters. Thanks in advance to anyone who might take the time to do this.

I don't know how far is it just my opponent's Potemkin being bad, but with most characters I just stay right out of Pot's throw range on wakeup and if he backdashes, rush him down with rapid 2P's or other whiff-cancelable normal. If you time it right, you have 3 frames to hit him in if he tries Buster (1 after backdash invul ends, two for Buster startup). I don't know if it will work with Bedman, also I never experimented much with what options Pot has if he, for example, IB's the 2P, but it worked for me against one or two Potemkin players. Also, it might be throwable if you get unlucky and happen to not have your hitbox out on the last frame of the backdash. I should experiment with this a little bit.

I got pretty blown up by a few Slayer players yesterday (guess I must have run into the Slayer Army assembly or something) on a bad day, so I'm looking for a little help. 1. f.S seems very dangerous in this matchup. If they read it they can just 6P right through it. P Dandy followups also seem problematic here. How do I establish pressure here? The best idea seems to just fish for these and similar things with dash brake and throw a 2K or 2D out every once in a while. 2S used to be good, but as VR Raiden pointed out in a post above, Slayer's 2HS makes it much harder to use. 2. What's the safe way to get out of Dandy S>HS/2K mixup? Obviously just shoving a HSVV in their face beats both options, but they can just bait it, so it's not that great of an idea. Is there a more universal escape that would cover all options (without IB Dandy S)? Would backdash work here (assuming they don't do something like Mappa to punish it)? 3. I have a hard time air-to-airing with him. It seems that every time he sees me pressing a button he can just go for j.S or Footloose Journey and that's it, I can do nothing except maybe hope that I recover in time to block. Should I just stick to j.HS to stay safe and then act accordingly?

Mine would be kinda like this (BB and GG together, but ten, and except for the top three not really in particular order): 1. SIX-HEROES 2. Ride The Fire! 3. The Mask Does Not Laugh 4. Give me a break 5. sword of doom 6. Engage 7. The Tyrant 8. Still In The Dark 9. X-matic 10. Science Fiction No love for old-school Arc OSTs for the most part. The production just makes it hard to enjoy them to the fullest, but there are some exceptions, as always. I'm rating strictly over writing, sound and other musical aspects, not in relation to the respective characters.

BB has a very late YRC point, deep into active frames. I don't have the exact numbers, but you can easily YRC it so late that anything in range would get hit by then. That's a non-issue, GF now disappears before the 2nd flame pillar happens. Let's be honest, this video does not teach how to defend from Sol as an entire concept (that is always very matchup specific), but simply outlines ways to punish certain approaches. If there is anything this video does right that is very useful, it's showing what NOT to do. Sure, there's more to defending than just punishing and interrupting, but being able to react to certain scenarios is at the very basic of ever learning to defend well. Of course better players will often mix things up and make it harder to rely on known punishes, but against characters like Sol you really want to MAKE an opening, not wait there for one (getting hit by a WT combo while having even the least bit of RISC built up is NOT what you want to do). With options like GF YRC or Fafnir YRC Sol can reset his pressure ad infinitum, or at least until his meter runs out. It certainly doesn't hurt to capitalize on every single opening, which there are plenty in almost every option.

A good defense against Bandit Bringer is to air block (or air instant block it) and then throw or punish on landing (becomes -4 due to landing recovery). Risk here is that Sol can YRC and throw, but it's a good option to keep in mind. A well timed GF YRC mixup with 2K cannot be interrupted on IB, I think only Venom (with his fast wakeup speed) can do that even in a perfect setup. Except for that, this is a nice summary. I think it's missing avoiding tick throw setups (after 2P, 2K or 2S for example), Blitz Shielding/backdashing safe jumps and 6P frametraps. Good job anyway!

The system requirements on the Steam page are not too optimistic... though that's probably a placeholder. Or whoever is porting this is really bad at it. i5/i7 recommended for a game with a 10+ year old graphics engine? Oh lordy lordy... If it's under 10 Euro, I'll buy it. Anything more would be a joke.

Using GF in neutral got harder because of it disappearing before the 2nd pillar comes out. Still, GF YRC is, alongside dash brake, an absolute basic thing to even get a hit on Faust. I stick do down-back dash breaking to stay safe from 2HS and 2P. This also avoids 5K altogether. Stopping at the edge of Faust's f.S range makes it necessary for him to cancel into something to continue his game, and his options are vastly limited, because f.S gatlings only into 5H (which has average range) or 5D. The most obvious thing he will cancel into is an item toss, which will create an opening to approach closer and slowly shut his game down. Of course, with a little bit of (un)luck, he will throw an item that will make approaching harder, so react accordingly. If in range, our own f.S is good here, might hit him out of item startup after IB or at least force him to block. It gets dangerous when the opponent gets less predictable with his cancels and starts shifting into Rerere Thrust or pogo, both of which will punish attempts to close distance too much. Thankfully, both these moves are very slow, so there's enough time to try and get a CH f.S in on these options. I haven't tested it much, but it seems that IB of f.S is required for best results. And a little bonus: while gimmicky, it won me a match, so it might be worth mentioning: If you have an oil slick under you, VV will set it off, but it's full invul is enough to not get hit by the explosion before Faust does, if he is in range. Of course as soon as the invul runs out, you'll also get hit by the explosion, but if Faust was in range, that leads to being able to either RC VV on hit or block by the explosion (remaining safe), or close out a round.

Wisest words ever spoken.

Rensen is a major threat now. YRC'd, it's basically like a horizontal DP/projectile, all in one. It's very hard to get out of it in blockstrings and will straight up beat anything you're doing in neutral if you don't hit him out of it before the YRC (afterwards you will always trade with the projectile). Jumping over it is hard, he can always not YRC and go for Melody Chain (the window for canceling Rensen into 8/9 or 2/3 is also wider now IIRC) or YRC and do one of his far reaching anti-air normals, swatting you out of the air if you don't FD. A well timed double jump (jump forwards over Rensen, wait for Melody Chain, then double jump back) or air backdash will make it whiff, but there's not much that can be done to punish afterwards. At certain ranges a perfectly timed Kudakero (as soon as the chain hitbox disappears) will punish, but more often than not he'll recover before you hit and land a free DP or IB the dive kick and avoid the flame pillar altogether. I had more luck just landing with j.HS (to cover for his attempts to poke during the fall) and trying to establish pressure from there. It might be worth trying to neutral YRC to extend his recovery and actually have a chance to get in on him. With your back to the wall, Riot Stamp sometimes avoids Rensen and it's projectile and nets a punish if he didn't YRC, but that's very far from reliable. I found no other ground move (special or normal) that can in any way be used to get around Rensen YRC (unless it was done very late on reaction to BB, but then he can just YRC > counter).