Plasma

Spark bolt is always a huge threat. Good players will know that you are trying to play defensively to bait it out if you are full screen away and take that chance to walk toward you and close the distance. Plus it's always free magnetism whether on hit or on block and you need to stay away until it disappears without staying in the air for too long. I've played a few good Noels and barely win against them :x.

All I can really say is DON'T USE SLEDGE B. It leaves you open for Carl to trip you with 3C (the slide), and then they can set up the clap loop on you. Stay standing a lot in the match and don't stay in the air very long either. Sledge A is pretty safe. If you suspect Nirvana is going to hit you from behind, get away with 6C or sledge A. Carl can go forward and behind you with that one dash move during Rhapsody of Memories so just guard in the right direction a lot while that's going on too.

Never actually got an answer to this before so I'll ask it here where it's easy to see. What's the limit on Sledge Hammer's super armor on projectiles, if any? Cause Jin's Ice Fang Distortion Drive goes through it and so does V.13's distortion drive with the huge sword and those are projectiles D:.

I notice compared to other characters, A good consistent Litchi player can combo from what seems like half screen. Spark Volt is good, but any good player can see it coming or block it with that staff. Any tips for avoiding the corner in this match cause it seems particularly hard in this match if they bait out sledge hammer and have 1/3 screen combo's.

Also found out that one close range distortion drive sword move V-13 has goes through it ><. Is the projectile guard properties based on one hit doing 2400, or a projectile hitting more than once damaging over 2400? Ice Fang hits more than once <_<.

Some of the strategies do apply to other matches too ><. Getting them into a corner and spacing well enough so that they can't escape from Emerald Tager Buster for one :x.

Start the match by back-dashing. Since Tager is freakin slow, you can use the time away from him (unless he tries approaching you) to charge up a spark ball. I'd suggest comboing into using it instead of just throwing it out there unless you know the other guy is going to try walking up to you (which he probably won't). Also if you knock them down, Jump!. There are many people online that always fall for Genesic Emerald Tager Buster or Gigantic Tager Driver upon wake up roll and you can always punish with Arm Slam, or something less punishable if they aren't going to do it. Try to get them into a corner cause if they're on the ground knocked down, you can hold out a Genesic Emerald Tager Buster and wait for them to get up, but it's techable. Leave enough room so that if they try to roll left or right, they'll get caught either way and they won't be able to roll behind you (better with Magnetism).

Mm really? I play my brother who uses Rachael a lot and whenever he has like 2-3 rods set up and he uses Baden-Baden Lily, I'm always able to sledge through them without any problem. Though I need to check back on the damage of that move ><, it seems like one of the stronger projectile-related distortion drives though.

Are there any other long range distortion drives other than Jin's Ice Fang that Sledge Hammer can't beat? I found it odd how that move isn't considered a projectile and it stuffs sledge hammer :/. Also how all of Nirvana's attacks are considered projectiles so sledge hammer can go through them with ease.

This match up is kinda annoying cause he has the ability to cross up and a lot of people start his combo's off with jumping C. I'm glad he doesn't have too many overheads, but all of his combo's after blocking leave him very hard to punish. They know the exact opportunities to charge in at you and his needles make it easy for him to approach.

Against the really good Ragna players who do around 12-15 hit combo's that either hit me or put me in block stun for a very long time, I'm confused on how to punish those after cause I noticed that they always end the combo with Hell's Fate + the follow up of that. Even if they do the follow up, they're out of range for me to really even hit them, or so it seems. He's certainly more out of range than when the move is done normally. I'm guessing it might have to do with me being in the corner, but I'm honestly not sure what causes that distance difference. Hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about :/, I dunno how else to describe it.

It's not entirely reliable (but really, it's the only option for anti-airing Jin), but I've found 2A to actually work sometimes as an anti-air to Jin's air-dash approaches, since he seems like one of the few characters that doesn't have a long range jumping slash attack. Your ducking in the process so unless he's close to the ground during his jump, he probably won't hit you unless he's directly above you when he could hit you with jumping D or C. Jin's jumping B doesn't seem like it hits below him so you shouldn't get hit by it hopefully. Only problem is Tager's 2A is so freaking slow and you kinda have to anticipate him dashing toward you before hand.

Eh really? I tried that and I could never get close up to him for whatever reason. I'm aware of the projectile immunity of Sledge Hammer, but the worm that comes out after it keeps hitting me and I don't know if that part of the move is considered a projectile so I get hit in the end :/.

- Vaccuming Gigantic Emerald Tager Buster - Vaccuming with "D", jumping or standing - Air-Vaccuming with Automic Collider. Just don't get them to fly behind you. - Vaccum with Crouching D, good mainly for someone who might be air-dashing at you starting from full screen. You can punish them right before they land and the tackle causes you move forward quickly while they also get sucked in by it. - Tager Driver I believe has a little bit of Vaccum, but not very much since you can't hold that command throw like you can with Gigantic Emerald Tager Buster. - catching newbs and noobs off guard :p.

I got perfected by one who did absolutely nothing, but spam 1D (where he spits out those worms). I almost thought of just DCing ~_~. The only reliable way I can think of actually closing the distance to hit him is by using magnetic spark and catching them off guard with it and comboing with something like Magnetic wheel after it.

Usually, Hakumen can combo 2 slashes with his "C" slash after air dashing towards you, one slash in the air and one on the ground after landing. Block both of them and don't attack until he's done with both of those. Don't bother using "B" sledge hammer and use "A" sledge hammer instead for comboing since it's a lot less punishable and not really punishable after block from Hakumen. You can also use the time you're away from him to charge up a magnetic spark as that will pretty much instantly bring him towards you. Predict where he's going to roll if he's close to you and use "B" sledge hammer if he rolls away or Tager Driver if he rolls towards you. They can't counter Driver or Buster with D so go crazy on those when he's close enough to you and go for the magnetism.