Aurora Borealis

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3278723284537230454 At the 37 and a half minute mark, I play 2 matches against a May and lose every round. I know I do a lot of stupid things like jump around too much, throw around Rensen when I shouldn't, drop a combo that could win me a round, not block enough, etc., but I'd like some input from those better than me. It'd really help my game. Thanks.

So I finally played the game, and while V13's C and D moves are obviously extremely good, I'm not sure what to make of her A and B moves (besides 4B), as they seem to lack reach and don't seem particularly fast. I've only used each of those a couple times, so I may not remember well, but which of those moves would be considered useful and in which situations?

Thanks for the list Soniti. I'm sure to put it to use. I'm a bit unclear what you mean here. Do you mean I can start with 5b, 6b, or 5c and then continue on to 3c and then 214dc? I've been looking at some videos and though I see V13 throw out a gravity field every now and then, they really don't seem to do much. How useful are they? What moves can V13 teleport after? Much appreciated.

I may be playing BB for the first time soon, and I'd like to use V13 since she seems to be the most Axl-like character in this game, so I'd like to know if anyone could compile a list of maybe 5 or so generic combos which could be considered her B&Bs. Like one for each given situation (i.e. off a throw, in corner, anti-air, when a sword randomly hits them while they're on the ground, etc.) that deals the most damage while avoiding character-specifics as much as possible. Sorry if this is asking for too much and if this much info isn't known yet, but I can't really choose among the combos from this thread since there are so many and I don't know how each individual move looks like yet, so I can't visualize it. Thanks.

2p vs 2h When should they be used, which situations calls for one over the other, and which one is better overall? S Benten has upper-body invulnerability and can be used on overheads, and H Benten has lower invulnerability and can be used on lower attacks, but do neither of them work on attacks that can be blocked either high or low? I use S Benten on wakeup a lot (maybe I shouldn't) and while it works a fair amount of the time, I'm wondering about the times they don't. When should I use the counter? It doesn't seem to come out fast enough either on wakeup or when I'm getting pressured.

While under pressure, what should I do? Reversal with Benten, counter with Housou, stick out a quick normal like 5K, or just block and find a chance to jump out/backdash and escape? I'm sure it's situational, so when should I do what? On wakeup, if the opponent seems to be throwing a meaty, is it better to try to Benten it or just block it or backdash? And if they don't seem to be throwing a meaty but are getting sorta close, should I just reversal anyway or throw out a quick normal or just backdash and put some distance? Close range air to air, what's usually a better option, especially when trying to interrupt someone else's move, j.H or j.K or maybe even j.D? Right now I use j.H and while it sometimes works, not sure what it's "priority" may be or if it comes out fast enough. Yeah, it's a barrage of questions, but after playing some people, I've found quite a few areas where I can improve.

What should I do against Sol for okizeme? I tried things like 2k and 6H and always end up getting VVed. I'm tempted to say do nothing, but surely there's something I can do... Not sure if Axl's really an oki character, but what I see myself doing a lot recently is going for a knockdown then doing either 2k or 6h or the occasional TK bomber as a meaty. This often seems to get me thrown. So should I bait reversal throws/attacks with dash and FDC or is there something better I can do?

Yeah, playing Axl solely as a keepaway wasn't working too well, so I started getting in a little when I got the chance. Especially since if I'm not rushing, my opponent's rushing me. Now, apparently I've just found out that my TV has a 3-4 frame lag or so. It's the only TV I got to play on (I'm in a dorm now), so will I screw myself if I practice training mode on this TV? Or are there ways I can circumvent this issue, like learning my combos and FRCs by muscle memory alone and no visual cues?

Yeah, I see what I was doing wrong now. I needed to input the Bomber in earlier so the j.D would cancel into the Bomber. But I really have to rush to do it, and it's still a little hard. A couple days ago, I finally fought against a real opponent who used Slayer, Potemkin, and Jam, and I found myself responding horribly under pressure, trying to maintain a lot of distance, and spamming j.S and 2P, especially j.S. What effective ways can I use Housou and Benten S, especially Benten because I found myself trying to spam that on wakeup or something and it not working well too often. And overall, how should I be playing (or does it differ vastly between matchups)?

Thanks for the help with the Rensen. I don't have a problem with it anymore. That being said, I've never been able to do a Bomber loop once. For some reason, after I do the 2s then j.D in the corner, I do the input for the Bomber, and it never comes out. The 1 or 2 times it did come out, they were way too late. I can do normal, TK, and FB Bombers just fine, but this one seems to elude me. Is there a trick that can make it easier or do I just need to input faster, etc.?

My execution really sucks in general, but there are a couple things that I'm really having problems with. First is of course the Rensen FRC, which seems to be really unforgiving in its timing. At best, I can only manage it about 50% of the time, at worst maybe 1 out of 10 times. Second is his blockstrings that involve Rensen. I try to do a simple K, 2d, and then Rensen, and sometimes it doesn't come out, and when it does, it usually hits them after they've already hit the ground, so they can tech out. Only a couple times have I hit them before they've hit the ground. Using K, 2d, Rensen as a template, when and how fast should I input each move, when should I start charging back, and when should I do the 6s for Rensen? Aside from this, Bomber loops and throw combos are also a bitch to learn, and I know the Rensen FRC will take time to get down, but the blockstring problem is really bugging me. If anyone would like to input, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

On youtube, there's a part 1 and part 3 Axl tutorial videos made by Shoto. Since there wasn't a part 2 on youtube, I was wondering if there is one, and if there is, where I might be able to find it. The videos are quite useful (love the music, too). Pt 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=7tqrb7ZvQEs Pt 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2n_p08qs4YI&feature=related Thanks for the help!

So 1fj is 1-frame jump? I read a bit of an explanation on it about how because you FD your jump it comes out faster, but besides the quicker startup, is it a normal jump or a really short one or something? First thing to work on is defense, as you said, but while I'm doing that, what should I be looking to work on offensively? All I really have to play with right now is the computer AI and training mode.

Hey guys, I've had Guilty Gear Accent Core for a little while now (not that I'm any good) but I've just started playing around with Axl today. There's so much information on here that I don't really know where to start. I read the overview of his moves and a little bit of general strategy but that's pretty much it. Can anyone give me a few tips about what I should read on here and what aspect of my play I should work on first?

I just got myself a Hori Real Arcade Pro Stick 2 recently. My questions are gameplay-related, so maybe this should be in the gameplay section, but this is the joystick thread, so... Anyway, I've been playing around for a couple of days, and like everyone else who tries the stick out for the first time, my main problems are with dashing and airdashing. I know I just need to practice, but I think I'm using my arm too much and being a little too jerky with my motions. It seems to take quite a bit of effort for me to do an airdash, and it doesn't help that I use Millia, who has two airdashes. Any advice as to how I can airdash with more ease and less motion? When I try to jump to the right, maybe it's because I'm leaning the stick more towards up than up-right, but I jump up sometimes. Other things happen to, not very frequently, but this is the most common occurence. Do I have to be pretty precise in what direction I lean the stick towards to get what I want to come out? Strangely enough, after like an hour or so of play, it's my right hand, not my left, that hurts, particularly my 4th finger and maybe the pinky (I try to use all fingers, and I use the arcade layout). Am I mashing the buttons too hard or something? I actually don't think my progress is too bad, but could someone give me an estimate as to how long it takes to get really comfortable with the stick? I heard 3 months, but that does seem a little long... Thanks for reading through. I know I have a lot of questions.

When did this thread become about politics? Anyway, if the US wastes 400 billion dollars annually on a small place like Iraq, I wonder if they even have the financial capability to go to war with China (unless they learn how to spend their money more efficiently).

Any tips on how to throw combo light characters in general (i.e. Baiken, Jam)? The standard throw, S(f), 2H, j.D, ADC j.k-j.D, ADC j.D doesn't work too well. Well, sometimes, if I do S© instead of S(f) and jump a little backwards instead of straight up or forward, I can do it, but it's really hard (how far you jump backward has to be pretty precise, or the j.k after the ADC doesn't even hit). Is there an easier throw combo I can do on all the light characters?

Thanks. I'll try this out. I was throwing the pin while I was a little too high, it seems.

How should I attack after I hit my opponent with the pin? Usually, my opponent recovers from the hit in time to block my attacks.

Is this combo as hard to do as it looks?

What would be a good general ground launch combo? Right now I'm using: Ground combo to 2H > j.s, j.hs > ADC, j.hs > ? I don't know how to end this, and I'm not sure if you can even continue it because after the 2nd j.hs, another air dash would actually get yourself on your opponent's other side, but if there's a good way to finish it, I'd like to know. Alternatively, is there a better ground launch combo I could be using? I also try to use this in the corner, in which I think I could add another ADC and j.hs (am I right?) but when I try to end this combo with a S pin > land, 6H, although I can get it in in matches sometimes, in training mode the opponent is always able to tech out before the 6H. Do you have to do the S pin at a lower height to guarantee a knockdown? But I thought I've seen combos where you could use the pin at a normal or high height and get the knockdown successfully. Can somebody explain?

How would you generally use Millia's roll and turbo fall? Also, is Winger really that bad?

I just watched the video, and I must say that this is going to be a real help. I'm relatively new to Guilty Gear, and watching this has really set myself in the right direction. It is a bit dense though, and I know I'll have to rewatch it a couple times every now and then to remember what's in it. If that's all beginner stuff I'd hate to see an intermediate and advanced video...

I've seen in some match videos Millia using a 2d sweep then immediately following up with the Emerald Rain Overdrive, hitting the opponent with 2 or 3 discs before the opponent hits the ground. I've tried it myself, but every time Emerald Rain comes out pretty late. Is this just a matter of really strict and tight timing, or is there some little trick involved, like a S disc FRC (which was discussed at great length 15-20 pages ago in this thread but which I don't seem to really understand yet)?

I finally got down the full combo on three characters, Potemkin, Testament, and ABA (the heavy characters, I think). Even then, I have to quickly air dash after the 2nd j.D and do the 3rd one so the beat doesn't go black. That seems to be one of my problems, inputting the 2nd air dash command fast enough. With the other characters, it seems the j.K launches the character up too high for me to connect the 2nd j.D. I don't really know when to delay. When I do try to delay, it's too much, and the opponent's already on the ground. Jumping straight up for the 1st j.D never works for me, because after I do it, I can't air dash in and attack quick enough because the 1st j.D already knocks them across the screen (provided they don't tech out, in which my combo's dead anyway). Still, I'm relatively satisfied with my progress.