Shining Aquas

I don't know if "respect" is entirely the right word to describe it. Yes, other players tend not to openly give you shit for playing Litchi (and how could they, she's probably the least friendly character to spammers in this entire game, outside of Carl), so it definitely seems like respect in that you don't get ratted out for playing her unlike playing Ragna or Jin. People know she's hard to use, therefore they usually give off a feeling of being impressed over being angry when Litchi starts doing her dance of endless death. Respect probably isn't correct though. I don't hear anything, but I can feel this....evil feeling....like a really dark mood circulates the room when Litchi does her crazy combos. Like, the opponent gets angry but refuses to complain against a character like Litchi. I hope they don't all snap one day and murder us for all the corner shenanigans.

BWAHAHA! Oh man, that's the best joke I've heard all day. Props man. My sides are killing me.

I've only played the most recent demo, and never seen the Japanese version, so my input is minimal at best. However... I think that if you have a PSP, and you enjoy fighting games or Final Fantasy games (or Kingdom Hearts) even just a little, it would be an extremely wise purchase. I've probably played the demo version a good 17-18 hours thus far, and have only had it for like a week and a half.

Wait, do they currently allow FRC macros in tournies? I was under the impression that it was always banned

It's a miracle. Life has been breathed into this board

Anji's position in the tier has been slightly debated in AC. Some people think he's the worst character in the game. Others just think he's bad without being the worst. Regardless, the spectrum is in the C-D range for tier. I honestly think he's a solid C tier character. Decent damage off of combos, great reversal options (like GP's and Fuujin), butterfly makes for great okizeme, plus one of only 2 characters that has 5 guts (and at 106% damage, he's pretty blessed on the side of defense). Problems he faces are that his mixup isn't amazing, all of his Fuujin followups are horribly unsafe on block, butterfly has a humongous recovery period, most combos are reliant on having 25% tension (at least to get good damage), and he's not terribly great at taking control of the field like say Venom, Eddie, or Testament. I happen to like him simply because he is amazingly versatile. No matter what situation you are put in, there's always an option open to you as long as you are willing to take some risks.

Dude, does anyone in Japan play Anji anymore? I haven't seen any new vids of him in forever. Did I miss something?

Charged Stun Edge (or CSE around these parts) cannot be effectively guard point countered. That doesn't mean it's impossible, just not a great idea. The only 2 GP counters that can go through CSE are the Force Break counter (which may have slight usage against a Ky that shoots one and jumps in, but at the cost of 25% tension and leaving you open on whiff/block makes it less than cordial) and the Overdrive counter (Which not only costs 50% tension, but can definitely be seen coming and can be blocked for free combo on Ky's side). Rather than try to GP the CSE, better options are usually to block normally, jump over, throw butterfly THAN jump over (Butterfly collides with CSE, turns into eagle, eagle intercepts Ky if Ky follows CSE recklessly, laugh), instant block all the hits of CSE for slight tension gain, Fuujin through it (this only works on wakeup). Play around with it. And don't be afraid to ask questions, we tend to be a somewhat friendly community and won't lash out at new players.

Yeah, sticking On is usually 5K, 5S, On after FB Rin. Sometimes, it may be more convenient to just FB Rin>5P>On, but the one with more hits is preferable. Alternatively, if you are playing against Faust, you can 2D>On for tremendous lulz.

The move generally sucks, regardless of whether you TK it or not. Sure, it is unexpected sometimes, but it's pretty easy to see coming most of the time and it's absolutely horrible on block. Like, opponent blocks and you're open for 9000 years and then you die. The only time the move sees any competent level of use is in occurrences where you TK the move and then RC it, usually to (on block) throw your opponent off balance or to (on hit) setup a position for either an aerial combo or possibly On (which I believe only works on CH or in the corner). Overall, your tension is better spent on other things. If you can surprise your opponent with one then kudos, but try not to overuse. EDIT: The are some other specific instances where TK comes in handy, since it grants airborne status. Can be used to counter sweeps (if you are mad good), or Potemkin's Slidehead, just for a couple examples. Experiment, have fun.

Probably better to just 6B. It's better to stop him from getting in rather than let him get in and attempt to throw him out.

Tier, as far as I'm concerned, is mostly irrelevant in this game. Tager may be the worst character in the game, but he has a lot of setups and techniques that tend to give Litchi a harder time than others do. That's all there is to it. Who cares where Tager is placed? I recall Johnny being the very worst in AC, yet that guy can still fucking wreck people.

Clearly it's not her easiest matchup. Otherwise we wouldn't have debated it so intensively. Alternatively, it's possibly the easiest but we seem to keep finding new problems with it. I have way more issues with this matchup than Rachel, Hakumen, and even Jin, and most of them stem from sledge and magnetism.

"I'm sorry good sir, but I had to shave the blasted thing. It was making people's heads explode in all the colors of the rainbow. Quite fascinating really."

The last Nu player I played against held me back entirely with just 6D. It's a little retarded. I mean, the move is designed to be an anti-air attempt since it angles up, yet it starts low enough to the ground that it punishes you for trying to go under it. If she wiffs it, no problem, she has enough time to block any kind of interrupt, or 2C if you jumped over it.

I know Anji vs May is supposed to be this battle that simulates a human versus an ant, but I still think it doesn't ever get as bad as 8:2. I would vote 7:3, knowing full well that some would disagree with me on that. May sucks and so much of her crap shuts you down all over the place, but Anji can still win playing his game (albeit a lot more cautiously than normal, but it's still his game). Playing against May to me feels a lot like playing against Baiken, it feels horribly against you at first but as you fight the matchup you begin to find strategies and plans for dealing with the bullshit. Granted, it's always a disadvantage fighting May, that probably will never change (at least until the next GG game where there's a chance), but to put it in a position that it sounds utterly nonwinnable seems a little bogus to me.

No matter how much better this game may be, people will never give up Magneto vs Storm 2. Why is that?

Sorry, couldn't hear you over the sound of GIGANTIC TAGER DRIVER!!!

Because this was the only matchup thread I hadn't seen yet. Fighting low level Ragna's provides no threat since you tend to do free combos that mutilate his health (due to it being so low), but at high level play this guy's pressure is a tad insane. It should also be duly noted that Ragna's DP does not only out-prioritize your DP, it is also Rapid-able, meaning his reversal is tons better than yours. Best way to fight Ragna?

Could someone evaluate my Litchi please? I know I didn't do that well, but this is also from online play, which has its share of lag. Kumlekar (HA) vs Shining Aquas (LI)

Input lag changes everything. Don't beat yourself up over losing Online with boobie lady.

Any particular reason why they are changing it so much from the Japanese version?

Since dashing with Haku is considered airborne, you can't be grabbed during the dash. However, Haku's dash is a bit lower to the ground than Carl's dash, and therefore spends a lot less time in the air. You are much more likely to get thrown out once you land, unless you do Tsubaki or something while airborne during the dash.