Magnet

Hmmm...a few positives/negatives (based on my opinion): -2c as a round opener. yeah it was good movement to dodge the elbow slam, but perhaps dashing forward would have been a bit safer. -Try to slowly cut away your usage of J.D unless its TKed. double jump J.D is punishable all the way to the ground. Try to have a cloud or something out in front of you as well to try and keep yourself safe even when TKing J.D +you use air dash cancelling, which is always a plus. Could have been tighter, but online makes it to do ADCing tight enough to be solid pressure. +solid 6C loops +good use of teleport feints to mess with his mind. especially in round 4 where you get a curse off it. +EXCELLENT rapid cancel in the first round against that sledge. that is how we should RC grub shots, baby!!! ...forget i said something that sounded so stupid Overall, pretty solid. In the future, I believe sledge can be beaten with a J.6A/B/C for future reference, but you may have to bait it. In the future, try to incorperate more 5a/2a/6a off of ADC J.B into your pressure and mixups once their cursed. also, lol @ the double KO in round 3 Sorry If i came off as condescending: it was not my intention, I just hope I gave you an honest assessment from my perspective. Also, Im mostly trying to talk about arakune in general, and not for the specific matchup in general.

If no one minds me posting here... wow, alot of these changes seem pretty exciting to me. glad to hear that 5c got its range back, but hearing that its low hitbox is still gone is kinda depressing (now there is yet another standing move that will wiff on crouching tao ) Berial-edge RC (if its blocked) could prove useful in getting in against zoning charicters IMO (though I still need to see it in action first). which would help Ragna get in if its worth spending the meter. I'm hoping the good things I hear about Dead spike are true, particularly about it being bigger, little bit faster and removing primer points in the new guard system. losing the life drain is kinda sad, but ill take it if it means his pressure/mixups get better.

Was messing around in BB with ragna, practicing combos on , and found a nifty little trick. lets say you manage to land your 3C, but your opponent is too far away to 22C and you want your damage worth out of the combo/sucessful mixup you just did. well, you can still get it! with a nice little 2B-5C to pick em up into an air combo. example: 5b > 2b > 5c > 3c > 2b > 5c > J-cancel > J.c > J.d > D-jump > J.c > J.d > 623D > 623c > 214c (About 2500~ damage) ....yeah, its not impressive, i know but hey, its an option, right? only tested on so far. if you want me to continue messing around with It ill give it a shot.

okay...I know this seems like a stupid question, but its been bugging at me for awhile and Ive been a bit too afraid to ask. The question is "what exactly IS a frametrap?". ive seen the term being used a LOT, yet I never actually knew what it meant. The definition I was operating under was that a frametrap is essentially, a move that leaves an opening designed to bait the opponent into doing something, and catching them with one of your moves as a response. ...wait, that sounds like the definition for baiting. ugh. can someone help clarify this?

Hey, I'm a fairly new resident of the PA area, going to college at Kutztown University...I also happen to be a blazblue player looking for some non-online matches =P. Im pretty busy during the week, but hopefully if anything starts happening on the weekend I should be able to do something If it is not too far away. Ill try to get some contact info up here shortly, just wanted to stop in and say hi.

Hmmmmmm..... From some of my online experience and from a face to face encounter with a decent tager, i honestly think this matchup, at least for Ragna, can be difficult without reaaaally good spacing. :RG:generally, Im just gonna hold back against Tager, around a 5B distance away, and poke and prod him with 5B, 5C, 6D and carefully placed J.Cs, then hitconfirm into combo/damage off those. at the range i stay at, I mostly have to worry about his D's and spark bolt. if I'm magnetized, I avoid jumping as much as possible, because of atomic collider. I personally don't use Dead-Spike often in this match. Tager can just sledge right through it and get a counter hit. watch both of Tager's meters carefully, and be very cautious on your oki options, especially if your magnetized. Try to avoid losing the round to a wakeup 360 or 720 because you neglected to pay attention to his meter/magnetism. if your not magnetized, maintain a slight distance and be ready to move ASAP, since some tagers may wakeup tech into 360B. Barrier Breaking (Aka stopping your run by using barrierguard) can be a decent way to bait spark bolt for some Tagers, and can also save you from running straight into one. Granted, even if you block it your still magnetized, but its a hell of a lot better then being magnetized and flying towards a combo-ready tager. Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL about bursting in this matchup. A bad burst only weakens your already low defense score, and removes your ability to barrier break (I Believe, confirm anyone?) So only burst as a last resort. avoid airdashing to get really close to tager. don't let him show you his nice, communist approved invulnerable 360 as a punish. if your feeling gutsy, try blood kain if you've got the meter/health. it turns your already decent normals into pressure machines, particularly your 5D and 6D to sum it up, I suggest just playing this matchup really carefully. rushing down willy-nilly may work at first, but may hurt you in the long run if the Tager decides to take a chance. his risk/reward ratio is somewhat higher in terms of damage, since he can take and dish out more damage then you if you let him. however, you control the pace of the matchup, so force him to play your footsie games and wear him down with cautious mixups. Notable Moves (in no particular order of importance) for 1. 5B (Nice, fairly big safe poke. just dont wiff it.) 2. 5C (Big reach, good for fishing for a counterhit.) 3. 6D (Slow to start, but good pressure and mixup possibilities off a blocked 5B or by itself. on hit can lead to a nice combo.) 4. 5A/2A (Quick pokes for getting out of pressure.) 5. Inferno Divider (its a shoryuken reversal with some damage potential, just don't use predictably or else...) 6. 6C (Useful in combos. Tagers got a HUGE hitbox, making the 6C->GH combo good, expecially if you can follow it up) 7. Gauntlet Hades and TK Gauntlet Hades (not particularly useful in pressure, but they're your cash cows for damage, so USE EM) 8. instant block/instant barrier block/counter assault (as always, these should be mentioned. they can get you out of pressure and get you back the momentum, which is important)

ill have to agree with you on the 5C taking forever to come out. its an okay anti-air at best, but still... you gotta admit that 2B looks scary, I'm afraid of it and i play arakune. I guess the gimick is that it has strict timing. So i guess this becomes a battle of who can hold the skies better in this matchup, since almost all of arakune's safe approaches are from the air.

I need to retract something I said earlier with an apology -2a into A bug is NOT an unblockable my bad. im really sorry about that. anyhow, maybe this will help... -GHing while ara is on the ground may be a bad idea. Ara's 2B is turning out to be a fantastic anti-air if timed right, and the last thing you wanna do is give ara a counterhit like that, since it will most likely lead to curse. and that leads to . also, it seems it will also beat out Ragna's J.C if you space it poorly. i guess GH might work as an anti-cloud-spawining tactic if you psychic it, but once again, you wanna watch out for trading with the cloud. Video reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix-Zb57eX10&feature=channel. for the GH, its in the corner @1:25 to 1:30 for the J.C, its @1:55-2:00

Erm....i need to correct myself on something. -2A into A bug is NOT an unblockable. *smacks head* so dont be afraid of it unless your already hit, since it is a bit of a loop. my bad? i really didn't mean to give false info. ill try to spread the correction around a bit. also, I believe that arakune does have anti-airs in the form of his 2B and 5C, but in this matchup its not particularly useful, since bangs J.C and J.4C seem to be at a perfect angle to stuff them both. though ill have to test that. Addition: After watching a few Ara match videos, i can tell now that 2B is DEFINITELY at least a decent anti air at some angles. seen it beat out Ragna's GH. Looking into it more now. Addition again:...wow, nevermind what i said. 2B stuffs J.C from DIRECTLY ABOVE. example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeBxurFd3_0 at 5:24 ....wow, ara's 2B must have almost no hitbox. yikes . looks like ara does have an anti-air.

A few things Ive observed from casuals...one of them being, even if it is a matchup you have an advantage in, don't disrespect Tager anyhow, to summarize a few basic tips... -If Tager magnetizes you, it should be in your best interest to be as careful. in this state, he can 720 your backdash into OMGBBQWTF ammounts of damage. -Restating the obvious, i know, but his sledge move can go through all of your D moves. -His backdash is big and invincible, and can buffer into a 360 or 720. -If you do get hit Be ready to throw break during combos, as if he throws in a 360 during a combo and you don't break it, it will hurt. alot.

Hmmmm....maybe I can add some imput, since i dabble in Ragna alongside Arakune, ill throw in some observations of mine. -GH is good as long as you dont wind up trading with clouds. i really wouldn't use it too much as an Anti-cloud tool unless you can time it perfectly. Trading with a cloud thats out and not cursed? good. Trading with a cloud and winding up cursed? Bad. I would say the closer to the ground arakune is when you do the GH, the less likely you are to trade, since you wont have to waste time jumping up to catch him when hes REALLY high up, something Arakune is pretty good at doing. -Unsure if Ragna's 6A beats arakunes AD Canceled J.B (Aka the spikes). worth testing, since J.B is a major part of Arakunes pressure. -I know its easy for me to say this, being an Arakune player, but you really dont wanna wind up cursed in the corner. That can pretty much spell the end of the round if the Arakune knows how to keep you there. -There are two major things to watch out for in Arakune's blockstrings/mixups: 1. Midscreen unblockable Via two 2A's, with the A bug (comes from your side of the screen, onto your head) forming the unblockable. 2. a really short J.D, which is a quick, nasty low that curses you. Both of the above mentioned lead to recurse. -If Arakune does a J.D really high in the air and it wiffs...PUNISH HIM HARD!! I beleive he is completely helpless all the way to the ground . Hell's fang works, and might even net you a counterhit into big damage. this is situational, obviously. if there is a bunch of crap in front of you that prevents you from advancing, it may be unwise to attempt to go through it. However, If Arakune does do the mistake of an unprotected high air JD, that could be the mistake that swings the match in your favor. -If Arakune has 50% heat, and your pressuring him, be mindful of his counter assault, which is a throw. if he has 100% heat, he can counter assault into Spider DD, and curse you afterward...which will absolutely suck.

its good to see that im not the only one that finds this matchup an utter abomination. while i havent had the misfortune (or fortune) of fighting a good Nu yet, i can tell just by looking at it this plain sucks. i can understand why some people would see this matchup as being 7-3 Nu...right from the very beginning of the round our squishy blob of love is at a HUGE disadvantage, and has pretty much an uphill battle from the start. I may start experimenting with 3C to try to get in on the ground and go for a knockdown from a certain range. maybe also start trying to use traded J.6D or J.3D as well, depending on the distance... ...sorry, but other then that i really dont have much to add. i mostly wanna see what i can do to find something usable. if anybodies got any ideas, ill see if i can test em out.

yeah, my difficulty lies in the fact that im not very good at doing 6C loops...for some odd reason, i havent found a reliable way into it. PM me any advice on that if you have it. anyhow, back on topic, I need to try 2B against that greed sever move at some point, as im seeing from some of my matches that it seems to be a good anti-air. heck, ive had it beating out ice cars recently as well. im also finding in this matchup that 5A > 6B isn't as useful as in some other matchups. her drives go through A LOT of stuff.

Yup, hakumen's Attacks are BIIIIIG unfortunately, trying to pressure arakune is like holding a wet bar of soap: hes gonna slip out eventually. Arakune, in this matchup, is pretty much doing what he does best: running away, curse, then go for broke. unlike some other matchups, though (*Cough*Noel*cough*) Arakune has the option of rushing down once Hakumen is cursed, but he cant just do it willy-nilly. Once hakumen is cursed, i personally will just use my A,B and C bugs to harrass him from a distance, using my teleports and teleport feints on the ground to zone him, buy time, help me set up traps, etc. I personally wont be jumping in the air too crazily at this time: it only takes one of Hakumens huge swings to hurt you bad, and Arakune isnt exactly super manuverable in the air without his J.6A,B or C, all of which Hakumen can, if he guesses right, counter. Once hakumen is blocking,ill Use crossup dives, the midscreen unblockable and Teleport feint into high/low/throw to break his guard,recurse, and repeat. As long as Arakune is cautious and tricky with his bug use in his zoning, he pretty much controls the pace of this matchup. @Blade: i guess id wanna get a match or two against ya at some point, maybe itll help me flesh out this matchup a little better by understanding it from Haku's perspective.

Heya, just thought since im partially a bang player as well as an arakune player i might throw in my two cents if that was okay....though other arakune players are going to go outside and beat my squishy self for this. -Arakune has some nasty shenangians when it comes to his approach, But there is a catch: his best ways to approach you while you are cursed and uncursed is from the air, namely, in the form of his Jump-Dash B-Cancel (Aka the spikes). dont quote me on this, but a properly done 2D might be able to beat it if you teleport with it, though i need to test it. -Arakune, from what I know, has four main ways of escaping pressure if hes got an opening: Backdash, Foreward Dash,5A->6B, and jump. 10stars is right IMO on how to deal with jumping, but the teleports can be pretty frustrating to deal with. if you think hes going to teleport, try using a nail of your choice to either force him to block or punish him. WATCH OUT FOR TELEPORT FEINTS. These can lead to nasty, icky setups and damage, so i'm going to stress 10stars point on being ready to throw break, as some of the feints can put him right back in your face. -If arakune has 100% heat, and he's blocking your stuff, be ready: his Counter Assault is a throw. it also can combo into his super, and that leads to curse, which sucks. if you think hes going to do his counter assault, and you bait it and it misses, punish him HARD. -If you do get cursed, and hes got you blocking, make sure to watch out for two things in particular: his midscreen unblockable (which is done with two crouching As, the A bug then forms the unblockable) and his J.C->JD off some of his JCable normals. both lead to big damage and possible recurse. Counter Assault can help you deal with both if your quick, but i need to test that. -In my opinion, as a squishy, D and B-nails are the scariest thing in the world to me, though that may be from lack of experience against bang. -Arakune has some decent air-to-air and air to ground, but his ground-to-air in my opinion is questionable in the form of his 5C. yeah, its big and scary, but you've got a mean crossup possibility in the form of J.4C and two air dashes. though i've heard things about his 2B being an anti-air as well... -while arakune doesnt have a reversal, his 5A-6B is pretty nasty. if the 6B hits after the 5A, it will send you sailing to the other side of the screen, which is most likely where you don't want to be. fortunately, the 5A can be crouched under, so lows will cause it to wiff, allowing you to pummel him with bang's FISTS OF JUSTICE! -Be wary of crossup dives. if he dives regularly and it wiffs, he recovers pretty quick, so be ready for it, as it can be tricky to punish. if he teleports after the dive, be ready to react to that too. remember: if he hits you with a blocked dive, he can IMMEDIATELY cancel it into another dive of a different button, so if he did a foreward dive, he can only do a neutral or backward dive afterwards. Arakune's will sometimes dive immediately after throwing out a cloud, so remember that too. -If an Arakune wiffs a JD from high in the air,I believe hes helpless all the way to the ground. Make him pay for the mistake of a high-air JD. That's my advice, hoped it helped, and remember: i am a squishy of JUSTICE!! P.S: ill try to post how to deal with bugs next time.

oh...my bad. "Greed-Saberesque" means its like Ky Kiske's Greed saber from Guilty Gear. the move Im referring to is the "jumping" drive overhead she does. it seems to go through a lot of ara's stuff, though i still need to experiment with Arakune's 2B, which I've started hearing is pretty good things about. Also, i recommend that you start trying to use bugs in mixups and stuff more. learning to curse with arakune is a major part of his game, and is essential in his less friendly matchups. on a random note, if you want any random basic advice to bug use, id be more then happy to try to write something up in a PM or in a thread.

Yeah....look at the bright side though, once shes cursed, you pretty much control the momentum. if the noels smart, they're going to have to wait it out and try to find a way to get to you, if not, they're going to jump into clouds and bellbugs without guarding, reset your curse meter, and give you plenty of time to run away and start the whole process over again. granted, I'm generalizing, but you get the idea. you may have killer oki stuff with Arakune and his bugs, clouds and such, but noels got an awkwardly powerful reversal, so that is in part why i stress running away so much: even if shes knocked down on the ground, if she techs and does her Greed-saberesque move, you'll get comboed and lose the momentum, and possibly take more damage then you might have otherwise done by rushing her down.

yeah....noels drive has WAYYY more invincibility then it should. just keep the hell away from her until she's cursed. yeah, you have your J-DC B pressure as a method of getting in, but it hurts really freaking bad when you get hit, and it might not be worth the risk. also, In my experience just block the drives as best you can and wait for an opening to escape via warp, as trying to poke out with 2A or 5A->6B can lead to unhealthy consequences. it may not be what you want to hear, but im really iffy on the idea of trying to poke through the drive, i find it better to just use my barrier guard to push her out if possible to get away.. your 2D grub shot, if spaced right, can hit her if she tries to drive from too far away. if it does, you've now cursed her. (clouds also work, though they wont hit her out of her drive.) its once shes cursed i myself will keep FAR away, throw out more crap like clouds and bellbugs, and try to poke her to death with your ranged options. if you do this, I would watch out for her slide move (which i believe can go under clouds) and her ranged shots, which can effectively end your curse if it hits. if you do this keepaway strategy, the basic idea is to wear her down until she's KOed or she gets impatient and tries to rush you if she sees an opening. in this case, just run away (preferably via warping on the ground, id advise against jumping to escape unless your near a wall.) In this matchup you may be able to control the space well, but Noel can get in pretty quick and those drive moves can really force you to block. DO NOT assume that because there is a cloud or bellbug on her when she starts her drive that it will hit her. One last note: in my experience its wiser to run if she tries to jump in from a long distance at you. she has an annoying drive move that can beat out your 5C from the air above you. I guess the Bottom line for this matchup is: be patient and wait for your opportunity. you can rush her down, but why risk it when you can wear her down from far away as long as your careful? well...that's my two cents on Noel. hope it helped, and im also looking for advice regarding this matchup in case I'm doing anything wrong.

PSN: Erebos977 Monroe Township, New Jersey. new, but got a good handle on everybodys squishy blob of bug love.

Hey guys, got a question that may/may not have been asked, i'm putting this up while i read through the Q and A for eddie, and i know what im asking may be a basic question, but im still kinda stuck on eddie stuff and wanted some second opinions on it. question 1: having a bit of trouble doing eddie ground combos. while i know there is a difference between the standing/crouching combos and ive been looking at them, im having difficulty with the timing of Little eddies -k- mawaru in the combos, which usually results in me foolishly dropping the combo. any advice on mawaru timing after i've broken their guard and started a combo? question 2: any particularly fantastic meaties with the shadow out or w/o shadow available aside from invite hell FRC? sorry if these are stupid questions, i've been reading through the eddie essentials guide by Teyah (speaking of which, kudos to everyone who helped with that, including Teyah). from some self-review, i can break guard with high/low and sometimes tick throw, but combos just seem kinda difficult for me.