Orrax

My opinion of Baiken's bad matchups and a brief explanation: Potemkin: once he gets momentum, it's incredibly hard to stop him. Slayer: don't get hit. Testament: One of the few characters who can effectively zone Baiken in AC. Sol: lol 2D. Plus he has a lot of effective ways to bait counters and is really difficult to deal with when he gets in. But a lot of Sol players don't have any idea how to play this matchup, so... yeah, maybe people won't agree with me on this one. I really don't think May is that bad, but I haven't played the matchup in forever. I'm pretty sure you can 6P or even P counter dolphins if you're fast enough. Air dash back j.S is probably safer than tatami. I think it's possible to zone her effectively as well, and I don't think she's got a lot to stop Baiken's offence once it gets going, but I'm not 100% sure of either of those (it has been too long). Oh, and she can command grab you out of your super, so that's another reason not to do it on wakeup.

Second airdash? Do you mean something like: 5S© 2D xx tatami sj.PSD air dash j.SD?

GGs to the potemkin. I need to stop being so easy to read, haha.

It's not silly. As far as I am aware, there is no training mode. If someone else knows otherwise, please speak up.

In AC, Order Sol and Sol are about on par with each other. In +R, that's again probably the same. Order Sol might be above Sol slightly, but, if so, it's not by much. In terms of tournament placing and videos of late, I'm inclined to say that Order Sol is worse, but that might also have to do with the lack of Order Sol players. Nonetheless, when we're talking tier placement, we're talking where a character belongs relative to the rest of the cast. In +R, I don't think much separates tiers. Many characters don't do well against Faust, but for most it's only a slight disadvantage, while with Sol it's more significant. Also, he has to take a lot of risks to get in, and the universal health buff means it's harder to kill someone just because you got momentum once. This means that one of his greatest strengths (being able to kill from getting momentum) has gotten harder to do. That's made his game a bit more difficult on the whole, despite the buffs he got. All in all, Sol's placement as "low tier," if that's really where he belongs, isn't to say he's a bad character. He's got all the tools he needs to win, plenty of strengths, and only a couple of bad matchups. But he's still relatively worse than most of the other characters, and it's small differences like that that separate the tiers in this game.

I'd say it's probably because of matchups. He hasn't really got many notably good matchups, and he has some significantly bad matchups against the wrong characters (most notably Faust, but Kliff also looks pretty bad to me).

I've actually thought Koro-Chan was really good since AC. Pretty much since I saw him beat N-Otoko a few times in A-cho grand finals. But yeah, I think he's one of the best in +R. Have you played at A-cho at all? I thought I saw the name "Troll Badguy" show up once, but I've seen multiple people use that moniker, so I wasn't sure.

GGs to everyone yesterday! I haven't played that long of a GG set in a while; I miss it. Ruben - Sorry for playing so much Millia. I've been meaning to learn (relearn) her for a while, and the only way I've ever been able to really commit stuff to memory is to do it a bunch in actual matches. And your Dizzy isn't bad at all -- a little more combo consistency and setup exploitation and I think you're most of the way there. And I think a couple of those things were just because you were rusty.

I'll probably stop by tonight as well, although it may not be until later (like 10).

Looks like air CH 2D combos to clean hit BB: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mpf1oiMyAXI#t=555s

Posting all the Sol vids. 5/18/2013 Mikado 5on5 B-Block Chiki vs Nichiyou8 Jihan (Slayer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=x6uKegpHkbc&list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm#t=192s Chiki vs face (Justice) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=x6uKegpHkbc&list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm#t=335s Chiki vs Mushoku (Bridget) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=x6uKegpHkbc&list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm#t=499s 012 vs Giorno Giovanna (Axl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=38s Kishitaka vs Giorno Giovanna (Axl) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=160s Kishitaka vs Bonanza (Dizzy) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=292s Kishitaka vs Hayashi (Ky) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=436s Kishitaka vs JUN (Millia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=601s Kishitaka vs Kuni (Baiken) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=sQZd1LdbQmI&feature=player_detailpage#t=766s Chiki vs Fino (Venom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rILAiaVIaBU&feature=player_detailpage&list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm#t=308s Chiki vs Godolphin (May) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rILAiaVIaBU&feature=player_detailpage&list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm#t=528s Roi vs Kiisha (Faust) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcfo9ldD6lJECfRL37oHlIOm&v=6WrMj1idFQI&feature=player_detailpage#t=913s 5/24/2013 A-cho (details here): Hasegawa vs Chobou (Potemkin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_9jvsKXrEZU#t=665s Hasegawa vs N-Otoko (Venom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_9jvsKXrEZU#t=899s Izumi vs Sabamiso (Bridget) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_9jvsKXrEZU#t=1280s Izumi vs N-Otoko (Venom): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_9jvsKXrEZU#t=1684s Izumi vs Kedako (May): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_9jvsKXrEZU#t=2202s Post-Ranbat: Izumi vs Kedako (May) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpf1oiMyAXI

5/18/2013 GGXX AC+R Mikado 5on5: Kishitaka vs Woshige (Millia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PLhsXh_3znPccLZR5hFlJA3t-pAFo0SHsR&v=lt4cosuDIn8#t=370s 012 vs Woshige (Millia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PLhsXh_3znPccLZR5hFlJA3t-pAFo0SHsR&v=lt4cosuDIn8#t=740s NOB vs Endou (Chipp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pWjZ8OOBOg&list=PLhsXh_3znPccLZR5hFlJA3t-pAFo0SHsR&feature=player_detailpage#t=607s 5/18/2013 GGXX AC+R West vs East Japan 25on25: Roi vs Teresa (Jam) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XWWOLv3Mfvs&list=PLhsXh_3znPcdAuIgF4cWMAzUdL7UN0I_6#t=348s Roi vs Isa (Eddie) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XWWOLv3Mfvs&list=PLhsXh_3znPcdAuIgF4cWMAzUdL7UN0I_6#t=510s NOB vs Taka (Anji) http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhsXh_3znPcdAuIgF4cWMAzUdL7UN0I_6&v=poj6XUqLBtU&feature=player_detailpage#t=69s 5/24/2013 Okayama Fantasia: Sol vs Millia http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bvdaUtBJux4#t=18s Sol vs Jam http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bvdaUtBJux4#t=193s Sol vs Johnny http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bvdaUtBJux4#t=409s Sol vs Venom http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bvdaUtBJux4#t=590s Sol vs May http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=bvdaUtBJux4#t=963s 5/11/2013 A-cho 2 on 2 (here are the details; I don't trust Google Translate for telling me player's names): Matsura vs N-O (Venom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=1049s C.R vs Hama (Order-Sol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=1426s C.R vs N-O (Venom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=1727s C.R vs Matsura (Sol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=1894s Geki Oko Punpun Maru vs eki-chan (Zappa) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=2354s Geki Oko Punpun Maru vs Susumu (Chipp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=2648s Matsura vs Reiichi (Venom) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=3411s Matsura vs Mirai (Anji) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=3700s Izumi (aka Koro-Chan) vs Woshige (Millia) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=4162s Izumi (aka Koro-Chan) vs Ruu (Bridget) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=4434s Matsura vs Dei (Testament) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=5141s Matsura vs Dogura (Slayer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-YLN_gVcnu0#t=5791s Looks like Sol is popular at A-cho. EDIT 6/3/2013: Updated names thanks to axel posting them in the video comments.

I always tell people how to deal with the stuff I do if they're having problems. Or with other stuff if they ask. I don't think you need to worry too much about "holding someone's hand," so to speak; people can get overly frustrated if they don't know how to deal with something. But a big part of the problem is that if someone decides that something takes too much effort, then they're not going to bother in the first place. I don't think Melty Blood is an easy game by any means, yet people are seem more willing to put the effort that since it appears less complicated on the surface. Once people get an attitude that something is too hard, or isn't worth the effort, it's hard to change it -- the best way I've found is to offer a helping hand, but you still need people who are willing to put in the time in the first place. And such people seem to be increasingly scarce the older the game gets. Hopefully a new game (+R and eventually Xrd) will shake things up a bit.

It's pretty dead, sadly. ...Wait, you're in Vietnam? I have no idea how dead it is there.

It even works in #R. And you can combo off of it, but I don't know about the proration. It would at least add in the throw's forced proration. Haha, I just felt like I had to try to IK there. GGs. I also wanted to do some IK and Mind Charge shenanigans with Liz, but you were zoning me to hell and I couldn't get much going.

That... is actually not saying much against Ruben. Congrats!

Yep, burst throw. Kazuki has an amazing Dizzy.

I agree with Circuitous that difficulty can add to the balance of a game, but I don't think it's a reliable way to do it. Mainly because it's usually temporary (currently thinking about #R Eddie's execution barrier and Ogawa's dominance in the game by the time of it's second SBO appearance). Something that is 1-frame timing adds a degree of balance because no matter how good you are, I don't think you're going to hit a 1-frame timing 100% of the time; but it's still not a reliable way to balance a game and depends a lot on the person playing. I also think P4A's two button DPs are a good example of potentially simplifying things too far. Or maybe I just think being able to hold down-back and block while mashing DP is dumb. Simplification that changes the metagame warrants a lot more skepticism. But I don't think those are the changes Digital Watches is talking about. On the topic of the trailer, a part of me wants Xrd to actually just be like a rebalanced version of #Reload. Is that so wrong?

GGs to everyone in diospyros' room. I still have a lot to learn against Yosuke.

Where did you see this?

GGs to everyone I've played lately.

I agree. I also agree with Klaige. I don't think making things easier is bad. I also don't think things being difficult is bad, but it can be daunting to new players. What I personally like about GG is not the technical difficulty. Instead, it's the vast array of viable options and possibilities along with the pace of the game -- the grand sum of matchup experience, the metagame -- which I think makes the game fun and is its source of depth. If Arc makes the main FRC I use (Gun Flame FRC) really easy, like giving it a separate input or something (even a ridiculously easy input like 236D doing a GF that auto-cancels at the exact point where the FRC would be), I would not care in the slightest. The game wouldn't really change in terms of its fundamentals or options (I can still do all the same stuff with and after the move) if such a mechanic were implemented; rather, one piece of its technicality would have been simplified. What would bother me is something that would change very important aspects of the way the game is played and the way matches and momentum are carried out -- like almost completely abolishing the current oki system by adding ground teching, or doing away with instant throws (I sometimes feel like I'm the only person who likes instant throws). Essentially, I think changes to technical difficulty are pretty minor. But changing things that drastically alter the metagame -- like removing the huge importance of oki and momentum, or getting rid of FRCs without a suitable replacement -- or, worse, altering the fundamentals of the game (I think implementing a ground teching system like BB could potentially do this) are major and, imho, warrant significant skepticism.

People have been playing a fair amount of Melty at Ruben's the last few times I was there. I'm pretty sure Daisuke has said that he is done with voicing Sol.

I could potentially see them sort of following in SF4's footsteps and making the gameplay more like an older, really popular game (#Reload). Which could explain some of the combos and moves in the video. But who really knows at this point. Hmm... come to think of it, wasn't #Reload the last Guilty Gear that Ishiwatari directed? I can't remember.

I like the new look for Xrd. And the combos and moves remind me of #Reload, which I like. So yeah, I am Xrd for Guilty. I think this is long overdue. Plus the Arc Revo GG finals were hype. I'd say this was a good weekend for Guilty Gear. And GGs to everyone yesterday.