Adelheid

One thing I've been experimenting with because I want to add it to my game is ambiguous Kokuu crossup on oki from things other than air throw. This is at least somewhat standard, if a shenanigan. At some point I noticed that it was possible to set this up off of any bomber loop, as well, just by taking a step or two back after Sensageki and then doing a run and either 764321S or 643217S. This seems like a fairly practical way to get more damage/pressure if they guess right, but I've never seen it done ever... So there's gotta be something horribly flawed with this idea. Could someone tell me what it is before I make a fool of myself trying it?

Um... Gunblaze is stupid there. In general I don't respect Gunblaze as a move, but here's it's really dumb, because even the slightest pushback and the first hit doesn't hit, and given how much FD pushes back, with even two hits in a string before a gunblaze, you're just going to get comboed off of level 1, thrown off of level 2, and possibly thrown off of level 3 (even if the throw fails, they'll still get a guaranteed 6H which will end in neutral + you at lower life and sans level 3, and it's not exactly good for HOS to be at neutral v Axl anyway. So unless I'm missing something fairly big here, Gunblaze seems terrible here. Certainly, when I've had HOSes try it on me it fails pretty hardcore, but eh, maybe there's something I don't know.

All this is really saying that is that predictable players can be punished for their predictability, but that's true in any matchup except I guess ridiculous crap like Bridget/Potemkin and May/I-no, but even then at least a little. If you are playing against a person who stubbornly refuses to get better, then yes, you will win for free, but that's not really a solid matchup strat. Generally Axl's good stuff is effectively unreactionable, and he can easily be the one reacting to you (which he SHOULD be doing if he's a competent Axl), so if he varies his tactics and isn't super predictable then yeah. This is a pretty crap matchup for HOS, and yeah OFJ is a good tool, but it's no magic get out of zone free card, especially since the aforementioned things it beats aren't even that useful because of how thoroughly 5P wrecks HOS' day... Though it is totally true that if you do guess right and do manage to get through Axl's pokes the correct thing to do is rush that shit down.

So, a few things don't quite apply to AC. In general this is a good guide though. A more standard AC Axl combo would be c.S > 5H > 2D > Rensen (frc) > 66 > 6P > c.S > 2S (2 hits) JC > j.H > j.D > Kokuu. Note that in the corner, you could easily get a bomber loop with c.S > 5H > 2D > Rensen (frc) > IAD > (only some characters) j.D > Axl Bomber > bomber loop. Also, not sure if you know this, but in AC, Axl has two hits on 2S, 5P, 2P, 6K, and j.6P, and the second hit pulls the enemy to Axl a bit, giving him a lot more free-flowing combos. Also, Axl Bomber is a different move now less suited for that kind of thing (It's travels down and is an overhead) though Axl's new moves FB Axl Bomber (basically a much better version of the old Axl Bomber, but it costs 25% tension) and Kokuugeki generally replace the old one in combos other than bomber loops, where the new Axl Bomber gives bomber loops more consistently and damagingly than the old one ever did. Kokuugeki and his new Axl Bomber also make Axl's oki much, much better than it used to be - Kokuu can be a very ambiguous crossup on wakeup, especially if you knock them down off of an air throw so you can get frame 1 hits from either side, and Axl Bomber is a very good overhead and even if they block it so you don't just get immediate, lasting advantage you still get good pressure due to it being +7 on block, and it's +20 guard bar, so there's that too. Meanwhile, Axl's still really good at punishing bad techs, but that didn't improve nearly as much as his oki (though 2-hit pokes did improve it). So, it's often going to be worthwhile to go for knockdown, especially against some characters who you absolutely do not want to ever get pressure on you. Aforementioned changes to Axl Bomber mean the bomber loop now does knockdown by default. A lot of setups to it do allow you to drop it and allow the opponent to tech in order to bait that tech with an air throw, setting up Axl's ambiguous wakeup Kokuu game, but that's less consistent and relies on the opponent. In AC, projectiles don't build guard bar. So Axl's actually much worse at this. Still can do it. Still involves Rensen and then running in with more guard building moves. But Rensen itself doesn't build guard bar anymore. It's basically made up for by his ridiculous whore damage even without guard bar build, though.

Against most characters, if you really wanted to be flashy that way, couldn't you JI the Benten H, do the Kokuu followup, FRC that, and air dash in with a bomber? Seems like it'd be more damage, more flash, and less tension.

I super disagree on a Rensen FB having less hits. I think it should have more hits. The total amount of guard bar it takes off should still be less than Rensen though. But come on, there is no way that a theoretical Rensen FB shouldn't utterly crush Charged Stun Edge.

You realize you get mad tension to beating up on guys with normals, right? And that if you ever need a burst of tension right then you can just summon up a tension potion?

From midscreen, Rensen FRC gives you much more damaging followups than Benten FRC. Just use it.

how could you ever get tired of that

Alright, let me explain this a little better You don't want to be throwing out a counter in the middle of a string if you don't have to. That's just obviously suboptimal play, and it means that you're going to be doing much less damage and pressuring much less effectively than you could be. By doing 236P in transition to what you might do next, though, timing the gatling late - you'll either do your string or counter warrant. For instance, as a pressure string, instead of doing 3P, f.S, 5H, Rensen FRC, continuing with whatever as 3P [4]S H 6S PKS > followup 3P 236P+S [4]H 6S PKS > followup Since 236P isn't a move and 3P doesn't gatling to 6P, these strings are functionally identical... Except when fighting Testament and he Warranted the 3P. In that case, if you timed the gatling late, then instead of 3P gatlinging to f.S, Testament appears behind you and that entire motion becomes 214P+S, and 3P will special cancel to Tenhouseki High, countering Warrant. This can similarly be done off of most everything else Axl might want to start pressure with, it's free, and once you get the slightly modified timing down it's pretty easy, too.

You have to wait. You can only JI when it's actually possible to jump, but you can't jump-cancel moves until they hit.

So one thing Testament players sometimes use is Warrant. If you're playing safe, you can generally avoid anything bad happening, but you can't react in time every time. One fantastic thing you can do against it, though, is when going at him with pretty much any string, quickly input 236P after your first move in the string while continuing the string as normal, trying to act as though you're doing the gatling as late as possible. Most of Axl's moves don't gatling into 6P, and 236P isn't actually a move, so if he just blocks or eats a hit you get whatever you wanted in the first place. But, if he Warranted you, then you get crossed up and your 236P because 214P, Tenhouseki High. You barely even have to try, it just stops it with no effort.

In the fight against I-no, you threw out Housou a few times vs. note. Each time, you failed to time it properly, but I don't actually care about that, you can get better at that with practice. But, you threw it out at times where note has already picked up more hits, so even if you'd timed it right you would've been hit out of Housou. Better not to try that against note unless you're closer than you were. In general, you were fairly counter-happy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you at least do counters well and don't get too predictable, but you did whiff counters a lot, and better players than your opponent would probably have capitalized on that. You also threw out 2P too much when you were way too close for that to be safe, given that you often didn't follow it up with anything. You didn't really get punished for it, but I blame that on your opponent. It's -7 on instant block, which is plenty of time for someone to start a small hit into a combo, or at the very least dragon punch you, and it's not hard at all to IB that second hit. Jam actually has a few moves which start up in 4 or fewer frames, so if she IBs she can even smack you out of a followup Rensen from that distance, and even if she doesn't IB she can still she can still dragon punch you out of it. In general you should work on getting better with your pokes, as stuff is getting to you that really probably shouldn't even though you're clearly much better than your opponent in these vids. Those two points and combo drop are what I notice most. Edit: Cleared up second point to be less wildly inaccurate.

I do ;_;

81 damage, since the very act of doing this cranks guard bar enough to make sure both hits of Rashousen do their max. Even with guts, doing that two or three times is still pretty alright damage.

I dunno, I can totally see the use in throwing this out over and over against characters with no/bad DPs, less than 50% tension, and no burst. It's like, once in a blue moon, you get to play as Eddie.

Yes! Exactly! It's totally awesome.

So... Here's something I just thought about which is pretty cool. Theoretically... And note that this is complete theory here... Axl should be able to force a rashousen out of a blockstring for 25%, if the opponent is in the corner and he starts close enough. Run up and c.S, 5H, Rensen FRC, Rashousen. The c.S > 5H is just to give time to charge Rensen. The thing is, before 5H hits, you have to have hit your forward in Rensen, and then immediately hit back... Hit the S in Rensen on the back motion. You have to have pretty much perfect timing on this in order to have enough time to charge Rashousen and throw it out immediately after the Rensen FRC. Opponent has to be in the corner for Rashousen to get there in time, and overall you've got a leniency of only a few frames. It also doesn't work at all if the opponent IBs or slashbacks Rensen. (Yeah, like that'll happen.) I have no proof that this actually works, as despite my best attempts at it, I have not been successful, though I have been only a frame or two off a few times, leading me to believe that it would actually work with more practice. The math is also totally solid. On the other hand, I have a lot of reason to believe it magically doesn't work despite the math, as I've never seen it done ever. This leads me to me question... One of you go prove this works. I'm busy with other things and can't devote as much time as I'd like to to this, but it's totally epic. Sure, it's not actually a question, but whatever

That would be a pretty cool way to get incredibly higher damage, yeah.

Oh, you can already pull that exact same crap just mashing on FB bomber. Only difference is you have to FB bomber like once less per.

... While posts are being made in this topic, an Axl Bomber feint or FRC just before it goes active would be pretty cool.

So everyone's pretty much familiar with off of any launcher but particularly anti-air you can spend all your tension on FB bomber, and then if you've gotten them to the corner, bomber. I do this if I'm pretty sure it'll kill people, and I've seen Watches do it once, too. This works on pretty much everyone medium weight and heavier. If a bomber loop isn't possible, this is pretty much the most damaging thing Axl can do. However, this combo has one slight flaw to it... If you misjudge your opponent's life, it does not grant knockdown. By making the combo even more situational, this has been fixed! From midscreen, anything knocking them high, high into the air > j.D, FB Axl Bomber, air dash > j.D, FB Axl Bomber, Axl Bomber (RC), Axl Bomber, Rensengeki > Sensageki. Naturally this does not work if you used tension launching them, so it basically will only work off of anti-air or dust. They must be as high as possible so you can get enough distance between the Axl Bombers... You want to roman cancel the Axl Bomber immediately and then do the second Axl Bomber immediately before hitting the ground, because Axl falls faster after romaning Axl Bomber and you want to get to the ground as quickly as you can so your opponent doesn't fall out of the combo. This doesn't deal quite as much as just doing FB Bomber over and over again > Bomber, but it's very close, only a few points off, and grants knockdown. Additionally, if there's few enough hits in your combo (tested with AA 2S, SJC > j.h, j.D etc, and with 5D > j.D, j.D etc) and you're close enough to the corner to start with (with aa 2S, a little behind your starting position appears to be max, but with 5D you can pretty much be anywhere not backed against a corner yourself) you can do a rep of the bomber loop off of 2S. Essentially this will be possible when your first Bomber is done against the wall. When this is possible, it actually rather significantly outdamages the standard midscreen waste-all-your tension combo. However, the timing is extremely, extremely tight. Damage reference... 2S, SJC > j.h, j.D, FB Bomber, air dash > j.D, FB Bomber, FB Bomber, FB Bomber, Bomber (271 damage, no KD) 2S, SJC > j.h, j.D, FB Bomber, air dash > j.D, FB Bomber, Bomber (RC), Bomber, Rensen > Sensa (265 damage, KD) 2S, SJC > j.h, j.D, FB Bomber, air dash > j.D, FB Bomber, Bomber (RC), Bomber, 2S, JC > j.D, Bomber, Rensen > Sensa (282 damage, KD) All this was tested against Testament and Robo-Ky, so I believe it will work against everyone mid weight or lower, maybe a little lighter. It is in no way practical, but if the stars align it does extremely high damage and knockdown and, more importantly, is absolutely the second-flashiest thing Axl can do. (The first, of course, is getting Housoubako > Shiranami no Homura off mid-blockstring.)

That's a viable way to punish an Axl for doing nothing but spamming 5P if you're on the ground, I guess. But not if you're in the air, and even if you're on ground you still have to anticipate 5P - though it takes awhile to recover, if the Axl isn't right next to you you're still not going to hit him if you do those things since the chain isn't there. Axl may still try to use it against you while you're on the ground, though, to shut down your approach, and that's pretty viable of him, but... An intelligent Axl isn't just going to sit there doing nothing but it. If you're trying to anticipate 5P, the risk/reward is massively in Axl's favor - With 6K/super, if you guess right, you get alright damage and knockdown, but if you guess wrong and Axl has no meter, he gets alright damage and knockdown, and that damage becomes massive if he does have meter or you're in the corner (and if both, expect to eat at good 50+%). Coin's less bad for you guessing wrong, but it also doesn't help that much guessing right and you can't exactly coin an infinite amount of times anyway.

That's actually just a regular move. Costs no tension.

Clearly you weren't making him experience enough of the universal gravitation.