DrKatz

Yeah, we're still guard break actually. I think most of them have graduated now. Current club members are Ralph Nayem, Andrew Noukeo, and we have some others who come through sometimes.

@AznSpyderman Are you still in the Ithaca/Binghamton area? We hold locals once a week at Binghamton University. Right now we're focusing pretty heavily on Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator and Street Fighter V. If you're a decent player or want to learn, come out and practice with us sometime. We have around 4-5 players and really need more.

My notes on the matchup from Zato's perspective: - Mawaru (buzzsaw) demolishes her ghost houses. Can hit 2-3 at a time, but will only hit each ghost once. - Her DP is easy to mash (2D), the timing of letting Eddie take the hit and tagging her with 6P feels odd. It can be hard baited pretty easily and probably safe jumped due to its 13 frame startup - Hitting Jack-O is a priority. Mashing on defense is high risk, high reward. Any stray hit, burst, or dead angle will immediately kill all of her servants. This can turn a terrible situation in the corner into a huge advantage. - Play more offensively. In some MUs, Zato can stay full screen and play defensively. In this one, Zato has to start the offense since she'll be able to set up too much otherwise. - Her slide (3HS) is -10 on block. Punish it with sweep combo. The button seems to beat 2S depending on distance.

Hello all, Discuss the Zato vs Jack-O matchup here. From the footage I've seen and playing against Jack-O, this MU feels pretty even. It is very momentum based and it's imperative not to let Jack-O set up too many ghosts.

Glad I could help out I've been playing the character for about a year and want to start helping new people in the community more often!

That's exactly what I was getting at! I remember people telling me when I picked up this character that he's half a character without little man... But I guess I didn't expect his hitboxes and hurtboxes to be so awful, haha. In a way, he's not good at teaching you fundamentals since his spacing and buttons suck. But the key to being a good Zato would be keeping Eddie alive or punishing your opponent everytime he's killed.

I do 2K, then hold K and unsummon with 236S. Just make sure you release S immediately and don't hold it for even half a second. That way the unsummon starts, but nobiru still comes out. So essentially it's 2[k] > 236S and release fast.

Is it me or do most of Zato's hitboxes look pretty small and situational? Also his hitboxes and hurtboxes overlap in like every attack except a select few j.D is amazing. Thoughts?

Thanks, that makes sense in a way. Because you're free to dash during the -P- animation obviously. I will keep messing around with the timing. Having the default stick configuration makes execution a bit harder. Should probably switch to rainbow style. But I'm too used to the default and it's been over a year. Anyways, I thought I'd share this with everyone. This was review for me, but it's extremely useful if you're just starting Zato and everyone should check it out regardless. http://shoryuken.com/2016/01/14/ogawa-offers-tips-for-aspiring-guilty-gear-xrd-sign-zato-1-players/ (Zato Guide - Ogawa)

Really hope someone could translate this. Zato doesn't get enough tutorial stuff. And one by Ogawa would be top notch.

Thanks it seems that 2K has massive hitstun because it leaves you at +3. But -P- has very little hitstun, so you need to chain 2K immediately after it, right? My stick setup isn't the best either. I use the default configuration. But I'm too used to it now to change it.

Thanks for the feedback. Sandwich pressure is pretty easy for me to establish and execute successfully. But I have a lot of trouble doing 2P > 2K > -P- > (dash) 2K > -P- and repeat. I always miss the timing after 2K or -P-. How tight is the timing?

Hello fellow Zato mains. I finally got into the habit of using -P- in blockstrings instead of mawaru. But people keep jumping out preemptively. I was wondering how you deal with people who up-back vs Zato all day? I can't seem to find any reliable way to punish it. I was also wondering what Zato's optimal punishes are for a baited burst or dead angle. I've tried going for his command throw, but I still get mashed out most of the time. And it seems like people can block immediately following a baited Dead Angle. My last question is what are some good pressure strings to practice in training mode which don't involved mawaru midscreen but are still frame tight? I'll be forever in anyone's debt if they can answer these questions!

It depends what you want to do. In a blockstring, it can be better to summon with 236S if you think they'll jump at you or IAD. Summon with 236P if you want to catch them mashing since startup is pretty quick. Summon with 236k if you're feeling confident they'll respect you , or you're close enough that they probably won't have time to jump or mash out. 236HS is usually best used for full screen so you can load buttons during the animation. So you could do something like 236HS (Hold S), so you're ready to anti-air if they jump in. You can do the same in blockstrings if you don't want to commit to a certain option. Generally 236HS is better since it provides you with more options. But 236S is pretty solid as an anti-air if you read them or want it out in case they try to rush you. Hope that clarifies or makes sense?

Thanks so much Poiltrygeist. I like Arakune's design. But the idea of unblockables and endless pressure/frame traps is too good to pass up. You have successfully convinced me to main Relius! I'll keep in touch with you in the Reliua forums! From my understanding, Relius has better pressure than Zato, but slightly worse mixup.

Hello everyone, I was wondering if someone could give me a comprehensive overview of Relius and Arakune. I'm having trouble deciding who I will main in CPE and CF when it comes out. I'm a Zato main from Xrd, so I feel both of their playstyles would transfer over fairly well (puppets, negative edging, oppressive offense, etc). I know a lot about both characters already, but I want to understand them more. Their best tools, their weaknesses, the playstyles emphasized by each, and how viable they are as characters. Thanks so much guys!

Thanks, I really need a place to start learning. I've found several tutorials on pre-curse combos via youtube and nicovideo. But I haven't seen anything explaining Arakune's optimal combos or mix-ups post curse. And it seems the directory is outdated. Hopefully, in CF he will be a bit easier to pick up. But I want to start familiarizing myself with Arakune and learning him now so the transition is easier. Anyone else have advice? (Thank you Davo!)

Hey guys. I'm a Zato player from Xrd, and I'm trying to learn Arakune in CPE. Can someone point me in the right direction for learning his basic combos. neutral game, pre-curse, post-curse mixups, etc. I mained the character in CT, but that was ages ago. And I'm having a lot of trouble executing things like j.6C > j.A > etc. It seems you have to release the stick immediately to prevent yourself from getting j.6A. Is this character's execution harder than Zato? Because I'd love to learn him, but I don't want to put as much time into BB as I am GG. Thoughts? Thanks all!

I'm loving that Arakune can do consistent 2.5k into full curse. Personally, I would like to see his curse damage pushed further (5-6k instead of 4k). But I have seen some manage 4.5-5k when closing out a round. I think his playstyle will evolve into resets and unblockables. Hopefully squeezing two in with each curse. I also think people aren't using Mothra nearly enough yet, or EA.

Hey all. Just introducing myself (kind of). Used to be Antihero11. But I have changed my playertag and made a new account to reflect that. Giving Xrd a break for a bit, but I hope to keep in touch with my fellow Zato mains.

I'm pretty excited about these changes. He's looking like a much more viable character. And closer to CT Arakune, which I loved playing. Just wanted to introduce myself too. I've been on DL forums for a while. But recently changed my playertag and made a new account to reflect that.