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NomadNoah has some very useful information in the Anji Section of Dustloop for fighting Venom. Full credit to him of course, but i'll paste it here. Writeup by NomadNoah (VE primary AN pocket) TL;DR Abuse Venom's lack of active moves and neutral-relevant lows with 6S and H Fuujin Don't be afraid to counterhit-fish; Venom lacks bombastic counterhits of his own and spends a lot of time in CH state Bully Venom during your offense; he's a 5f character with no reversals Bully Venom during his offense; you have 6K+H~K/D as the world's best wakeup OS If you bully Venom into no longer mixing you up, take the free outs on defense; cool it with the 6Ks and chill NEUTRAL STUFF In neutral, Venom suffers from an acute lack of active frames on the buttons he uses to control space. f.S has two active frames, 2S has one. Additionally, these buttons don't offer any cash-out in terms of direct reward at the ranges they're intended for; generally Venom will get a ball set (leaves him at ~ -7 from f.S and 2S on crouching counter hit, the most advantaged possible grounded hit) and nothing else. So, between the low active frames and low deterrence factor, that means Venom is really susceptible to Fuujin in neutral; it's rare for him to poke you out of it, and even if he does, it's kind of a 'so what' as long as you don't get knocked down - after all, you can press a button again, or just Fuujin again into the ball set. OFFENSE VS. VENOM Venom has a slightly fast wakeup time from relevant knockdowns, and he's pretty lanky overall. Checking his backdash can be an important layer one, but the bigger threat will be his Dead Angle when he has meter for it; it's probably the best DAA in the game in terms of hitbox, so it kinda requires a hard bait or a well-placed autoguard. Otherwise, just remember that he has no reversals, so you are obliged to fuck him up. Frame trapping with low AGs will also probably give you good mileage, since Venoms tend to abare with 2K (5f) and 2D (6f, god-tier low profile). Also, his throw is best-in-class, so while I dislike Fuujin~K overall, it's especially important to know when a Venom is on to you with it, since they can turn stuff around pretty fast with a good throw. DEFENSE VS. VENOM This is probably the real matchup breaker for Venom - Venom's balls give Anji a consistent mid to 'anchor' autoguards on, and this is something you should abuse as much as is humanly possible (likewise, between Venom's long CH durations and low poking reward, it's not a bad idea to vibe check Venoms by making them deal with lots of Sous until they prove they can deal with it, stop using balls so much in neutral, or die). WAKING UP VS. VENOM Wakeup 6K is your absolute best friend in this matchup for the above reasons, though Fuujin is quite strong too - most of Venom's oki is designed to meaty at the moment the opponent wakes up, so it can blow right through this. Of course, be mindful of the fact that Venom is fully independent from balls in motion and they don't go away on hit (except for H Carcass, but that's not an oki tool so disregard), which can kinda go both ways. On the one hand, it can give Anji a dollar store Roman Cancel as he takes a small bit of damage from a ball. On the other hand, stronger anti-Fuujin/anti-AG setups will let Venom convert from this, albeit not on trades. Basically, don't be afraid to risk/reward Venom to death when you're playing defense, as it will take a lot of work on the Venom's part to both properly bait and punish (with enough damage to deter wakeup shenanigans). Simultaneous mid/low meaties are quite strong vs. Anji, so this is where Fuujin and actually blocking come in; mid/low setups are completely mix-less, so use that as an opportunity to FD to build space, or scout offensive habits. Once you recognize the Venom is using them, you gotta be pretty careful, but odds are they'll return to mix out of a necessity to get something going, so just recognize that option rotation. You don't really need to 'know' Venom's offensive sequences outside of p ball (chest-height, usually used for mid/low stuff or double mid in which case LOL AUTOGUARD) and k ball (high ball, ball always hits first, go wild). Venom's throw OS is sorta the equalizer here, so again, if you're getting caught with throw OSs, like mid/lows, just cool it and block on wakeup. VENOM BLOCK PRESSURE Venom block pressure is basically RPS between two options, S Carcass Raid (down-up ball, shallow angle) and Dubious Curve (high five of doom). They more or less cover mutually exclusive options - S Carcass will be gapless or leave a tight gap, preventing or punishing mashing, but will be jumpable when a gap is present (though Venom recovers quite fast, so don't land on him), and give him frame advantage to re-pressure. On the other hand, Dubious Curve will ALWAYS leave a gap, beat mashing and jumping, and is -3 on normal block, forcing Venom to block/disengage or get greedy on a button press. Because of autoguard, Anji basically gets a free out here between Fuujin and 6K > Sou if the Venom is linear. The important thing is timing, since Venom can delay or charge S Carcass, and heavily delay his cancels into Dubious, which is also his best starter on CH/air hit. Again, you can basically gamble against Venom with much better risk/reward on most options, provided you don't get CH by Dubious Curve. You can probably OS 6K if Carcass would be gapless, since again, Dubious Curve unconditionally leaves a gap (can be FRC'd for safety during its first active frames though, so be careful if the Venom shows they can do that!). This is also why you always FD Venom's c.S and 5H, and never his projectiles unless they will chip - creating more space makes Carcass hit later or whiff outright, and can force Dubious Curve to whiff, with CH recovery, so go wild there. Anji's superjump is also great if you've FD'd Venom out; you can just throw the deuces and leave. Old Notes (AC) (This talks a bit about roundstart RPS) Things to Note Butterfly zoning and rushdown is good to counter his ball spam. He is helpless in the air without ball cover, but j.P is an awesome move in Venom's part, and it will beat your air normals on the way up. Watch out for this and counter with j.D or 5P. j.K is still good if he tries to jump away. Anji's super jump can close in the gap if he tries to run away because of it's range. Use it wisely. When you start locking him down, do your best to keep him there. Once he escapes, you give him room to start his setups, and Anji's escape options (while better than Venom's) are situational at best. Patience is key here when you are locked down by him. A lot of his pokes are very vulnerable to HS Fuujin. A proper defense can pretty much shut him out when he's locking you down. Get used to how his mixups work and you'll have an easier time here. Opening move options: 1. 6S - this is the best move you can do at the start of the round vs Venom. It will autoguard his opening normals (2S, far 5S, Stinger Aim) and is faster than anything else he can do (Carcass Raid). Only thing that beats this is Double Head Morbid (which is a risky move in his part as an opener, more on that later). If this hits, you can start your pressure game of your choice. If it counter hits, you can HS Fuujin him and end with Rin for a knockdown. Same thing if it's blocked, you can force him to go defensive early on. He can't jump away from this, or they'll get tagged. Go to an aircombo if it does hit. Escapes for this option are Teleport, backdash (his safest option) and Double Head Morbid (risky). When you see him teleport, you open up more options. If he tries to dash away or delay his movement with Air Ball Formation, super jump and hit him with j.D. If he goes for Mad Struggle, you can 6K into Kou for damage/set ups and push him to the corner. 2. HS Fuujin - AKA The Horizontal Shoryuken. This will plow through a lot of what he does at the start of the match (normal pokes, backdash, Stinger Aim) and the options when this baby hits or is blocked are really good. Thing is, HS Fuujin is less safe of an opener than 6S. Carcass Raid beats this clean out unless you delayed it really late. 2D will also beat this (but this only occurs when you've conditioned them not to use his other normal moves at the start). If blocked, start your post Fuujin mind games and hope he doesn't catch on to them. He can also counter this by jumping, but you can always Rin him when he goes down, or cancel Rin into Kou if he tries to j.K or Mad Struggle you. He can't delay his descent with an air Ball formation (because of Rin's Juggernaut Punch-like hitbox) but he can double jump and then Mad Struggle to hit you (risk in his part). 3. K Kai - This is a big risk on your part, as it is a very situational opener, but can be very rewarding if it pays off. He can counter this with a lot of things (HS Carcass Raid, j.D, airthrow or IB ground throw). This will stuff his 2D and S Carcass Raid at the start of the match, but again this is a situational occurrence, as Venom players will opt for more safer ways to open a round. Far 5S will also hit you before you can rise off the ground (and this is on of his safest moves to begin with). When you do hit with this, combo into On and keep up the pressure. Of course you can also go the safe route by blocking, air dashing or jumping/super jumping backwards, since Anji has a way to deal with his full screen ball spam (more on that later) and rush down. Dealing with Ball zoning/rushdown Anji can deal with this like in Slash by using Shitsu from far away. You can use Shitsu from full screen to slowly close in the gap if he keeps zoning you with balls. The butterfly will transform into it's 2nd phase and will eat any other balls in its path, allowing you to get in a bit closer, hopefully into 6S, IAD P/S or HS Fuujin range. They will also be reluctant to advance when they see the butterfly changes, giving you more time to move in. Just be careful not to get predictable in tossing out the butterflies, since he can do Stinger Aim to hit you and negate the butterfly when there other balls on the screen. FB Stinger Aim is fast and will allow him to start his pressure or set up more balls. Or if you're at mid screen range, he can IAD j.K into a knockdown combo to set up is okizeme game. This of course can be baited and punished by j.K, 6P or 6K into Kou. Once your in range for 6S, IAD P/S or HS Fuujin, you have a lot of ways to take the fight to him. 6S is fast enough when you're in range, but don't rely on it's autoguard property. HS Fuujin will go through his attacks, giving you the chance to capitalize. IAD P or S can catch him when he thinks you're going for a ground offense, but this can be countered by his 6P or HS Carcass Raid. Be patient and watch what he does when you're in range for offense. Dealing with his lockdown game This is where you don't want to be. Venom's lockdown is really good, and he can keep you locked down for a good amount of time, building your guard meter and punishing you when you make a mistake in blocking. A good thing about this is that Anji has anti-pressure options versus his, and are overall better than what he has for escape. 1. Super jump - Very, very good option. The only way he can prevent this is if he predicts it and meets you in the air with j.P or an airthrow. Anji's super jump has extremely long range, allowing you to go back into a neutral state. Another counter to this is Double Head Morbiding a ball so it goes straight up. Watch out for this and time your jumps well. 2. HS Fuujin - Very useful in this situation as he has to keep his normal moves and ball summoning within tight spots to keep you from using this, but the situation more often than not will present itself because of what they normally use (2S, Stinger Aim) in lockdowns. HS Fuujin has the capacity to go through multiple balls and his pokes within it when timed correctly. Again this can be countered, so be patient when you want to use this. 3. Autoguard into Kou or Aoi - Another option and will knock him away from you, allowing you to start your offense. You can autoguard a lot of his stuff, especially when he comes in from the air even with ball cover. Use Kou when they try a mixup with balls and jumping and Aoi for ground variations. As said by Tiamat, when you see them use Dubious Curve in their lockdown, 6K it and cancel into Aoi. This is a very good surprise move. The can only counter this if they RC/FRCd Dubious Curve and they blocked or jumped. Watch out for throw mixups along with his ball lockdown. Counter this by the normal means (jumping, throwing, 2P, etc) or you can use 3K, which has a good chance of autoguarding his 2K during his throw mixups and is throw invulnerable. On offense/locking him down Ok, you've knocked him down. The basic Shitsu pressure and mixup options work on Venom, as he has to take more risks to escape your pressure. Backdash is very punishable by HS Fuujin or run up throw. 2S is a big risk for him, as you can simply block and let the butterfly hit, and 2P is faster than it if you're close enough. His best option (asides from good old fashion blocking) is to teleport BUT ONLY WHEN HE HAS A BALL SOMEWHERE ELSE and not above him (due to the butterflly's 2nd phase). Keep this in mind when you see a ball floating away from the butterfly so you can chase him when he does teleport. Unlike before, he can't use 2D as a counter for pressure (yay!). During re-Butterfly situations, remember to not be predictable, as he can simply 2S on the 2nd Shitsu attempt before it reaches him. Mix it up with P Kai, S Fuujin, 6K or 2K (since this is faster than his 2S) aside from the normal mixup options (3P, 2P -> 2K gatling, throws, etc). You can OTG Butterfly him when you manage to On him to the corner, making for interesting mixup options. Overall, I still think this is 5-5, at worst 5.5-4.5 in favor of Venom. I think that covers Venom. Hope this helps. Any changes/comments or criticisms are welcome.