kro_

Let's see. Adding in the 6b or the 6a doesn't really hurt the combo damage wise. Walk-up 5b 236a otg makes the pole land so that it stacks with the super. Dash up 3c 236a will oftentimes make the pole land offscreen when in the corner. I'm simply more comfortable doing 6a into super since it gives me something to use as a buffer for the super motion. And you could argue that the additional height gives you more time for wind regen, slightly more meter gain, and an easier time juggling the frog. I think he just screwed up his post-super setup.

Bread n Buttah

I've noticed that he only does this when he hits with the edge of 5b. Looks like he uses it to move close enough to where a 5cdc > frog is guaranteed to connect. Also, after 5b 3d jc j.b j.2c you can use the leftover momentum to do 5b jc j.b j.2c j.c. I think both of these strings combined make up for not doing 6cdc. 6cdc tends not to connect sometimes if done at max 5b range too. As for not comboing frog after super, it looks like they really just want to stack poles in the corner for a future super setup. And that distance where 236a hits them just before hitting the ground in the corner is a very good position for Rachel. Hard to counter with anything in between those gaps, can activate lightning if they jump, and they still have to worry about pumpkin into mixup. It's like an old-school ST fireball trap. Seed is the slow fireball and lightning is the fast fireball.

He qualified for SBO. And I think he's pretty good based on these videos. I've never seen him play before, but his zoning is so similar to mine it's creepy.

Added some Rachel vs Litchi videos to the video thread. http://www.dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5790&page=9

Goldenrody uploaded some new videos on youtube. And yes, this is THE shonen that plays Testament. Shonen (Litchi) vs. Tobari (Rachel) Set 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=226j7wDMx9I&feature=channel Set 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih4jS5zUav4&feature=channel Set 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S0a2jTYVRU&feature=channel

The opponent needs to be standing and you have to input j.c closer to the ground. Easier on taller characters.

I like to 6a Jin's 1-hit projectiles just to piss him off. It does have a use though. It lets you keep out your pumpkin and stay grounded the entire time to regen wind.

Doesn't get much better than starting with 5b, j.3d2c, CH 6b, or CH 6a. 2b and 3c are her only lows. So you don't have much choice if you actually want to mix things up. To get her damage up, you really need to aim to combo into her super. A lot of damage comes from that post-super juggle with the frog. Also, mastering the 3c/5b > 236a otg into frog > 22a > air combo/knockdown generally yields ~500-700 more dmg than the usual option. So spending a couple of winds to get those non-froggable characters into the corner is really worthwhile.

Yeah, I mentioned that. So I did some testing on the projectile properties of Litchi's staff 5D, 2D, j.5D, j.2D. In case you didn't know, it's the move that hits once going forward and again on the way back. -If an active pumpkin, seed, or frog goes through the staff on the way forward, both the staff and Rachel's projectile will be nullified. The same is true for the staff on its way back. Rachel's pumpkin, lightning rods, or frog will still be on the field though. -If Litchi gets hit or blocks any attack, her staff immediately stops spinning and comes back to her automatically. Thus, Rachel can use pumpkin as a shield to absorb a blow during the forward arc of the staff and rush her before the staff hits on the way back. But since the pumpkin's active frames disappear once it passes through the staff, the pumpkin will not touch Litchi. This leaves both players open to direct attack unless you use wind again. Using wind again refreshes its active frames. If possible, it would be better to dodge the forward part of the staff and wind the pumpkin toward Litchi after dodging since that uses only 1 wind. Alternatively, since Rachel can attack with two projectiles at once, she can use the seed/pumpkin to 'absorb' a hit from the staff on its way forward and use the pumpkin/seed to force Litchi to block - which negates the second hit from the staff and puts Rachel in a good position (both lightning rod and pumpkin on the field). Use something like (summon pumpkin) 236b + 5d wind. If Litchi does the ground staff 2[D], the frog can absorb the hit on the way forward if the angle is correct and survive it, but it's somewhat unreliable. I forgot to test Shishin, but I'm pretty sure that eats up any projectile and still continues hitting.

I would be happy if v-13 couldn't jump cancel her D projectiles on block. Just that. She can keep gravity and act pulsar.

Yeah, zoning with things like wind-boosted j.236a and 236c are useful in this matchup. Just make sure you are out of his 2d range before doing so. Batpoles are very useful in this matchup to limit the area where he can safely summon curse clouds. And the pumpkin is great for catching him mid-dive attack and post-dive attack. Keep in mind that his ground dashes are short teleports forward or backward. You can actually wind the pumpkin in whatever direction he ends up on reaction and punish him during the recovery. Also, frogs and 6a are great for destroying curse clouds in addition to their usual uses. Arakune's j.d is the one thing that should really make you afraid in a zoning strategy. Once cursed, all of your advantages disappear. He can do it at anytime while airborne and can even trade hits with you just to curse you. Think of how Rachel usually punishes people for killing the frog. His j.d will punish you if you try to destroy his curse clouds with frog or 6a. His j.d will also punish you for trying to summon pumpkin, frog, or shoot a grounded projectile from any range. If you whiff any of your seeds, even the ones you shoot while airborne, then he has free reign to curse you with j.d upon your landing. Since Rachel must spend some time grounded to regen wind, it can be difficult to deal with j.d since you're used to summoning things when given space. The solution is to just sit there and crouch block whenever you want to regen wind. It's boring, but it gets the job done. It also tempts him to get in and go for some overheads. Finally, it's always best to implement a bit of rushdown in your game just to mix things up a bit, even if you primarily want to zone him. Rachel has all the tools for dealing with Arakune, but one mistake can still cost you dearly. There's nothing Rachel has over other characters while cursed.

Litchi is definitely one of Rachel's harder matchups. Probably 5-5. Up there with Jin but not as bad as v-13. Litchi's staff paths are great for forcing Rachel to block and lose her pumpkin. Her great air-to-air priority and long reach make it for very difficult to summon much of anything. Tsubame is great for getting her out of pressure. And her corner-rape is exceptional - similar to Rachel's in good oki setups but meterless. If it weren't for the frog in this matchup, I would say Rachel would be at a disadvantage. Frog oki actually makes Litchi's dp unsafe on wakeup, which is usually their get-out-of-jail for free card. I believe it can also absorb a hit from the ground staff path and survive it, which will help keep your pumpkin alive and allow you to rush in on her while she's staffless or still play a decent projectile-zoning game. Frog also helps you get out of the corner if you can manage to block until he saves you. Litchi can't hurt you much just by throwing the staff at you, so a full-screen zoning game is pretty good in this matchup. Mid-range is bad, because Litchi's long 6b counterhit or j.c counterhit gives her a free combo. Like Rachel, most of Litchi's close range attacks are pretty slow so I think things go pretty even here. And yeah, whoever controls the corner is at a huge advantage since it's fairly difficult for anybody to get out against these two.

1abc is universal defense. What this means is that you will tech a throw if the opponent tried to throw you but if the opponent attacks, you will still put up your crouching barrier and guard. Keep in mind that the throw tech is only active for the moment you pressed 1abc, and will not continuously tech throws if you hold 1abc. It will not throw the opponent if the opponent did not attempt a throw either.

Guardcrush/corner-rape Rachel sure is becoming popular.

You want to play runaway in this matchup. Carl has a lot of problems trying to get in on you from full screen range. He'll practically be forced to use Nirvana to take some hits to get in on you. He also doesn't really have an answer for 6a. If he tries to teleport Nirvana in while approaching you, just back away or switch sides. Be a pain in the ass and attack Nirvana before and after her attacks with things like spamming 5a > 5b > IAD away when Carl tries to save her. If you ever catch Carl alone or Nirvana breaks down, rush him down. But watch out for his gear super since he is more than willing to trade hits to land that on you and stall for time. Don't get caught in between him and the doll and don't get caught in the corner. Punch loops are still very dangerous and have good potential for resets. IB and jump away is the main way to get out of this since barrier becomes useless as Nirvana keeps moving you closer to Carl. And don't get caught without wind otherwise he can still do the clap loop on you. You also need to learn how to wind yourself away from the doll after a teched air throw. Sometimes, this means winding yourself downwards if he has you in the corner. Otherwise, this should be one of Rachel's easiest matchups.

Hmmm. Either he was trying to bait a burst at that specific point in the combo or he'd really rather save the meter for something else. I didn't see him use many RCs or CAs though so I have no clue. Doing super, even for pitiful damage is a good chance to regen wind since you're grounded and can combo frog afterwards. I think 3d j.b j.2c works on everyone if you're at the right distance. It's much harder to do on Noel compared to Tager though. You can also use 3d j.a j.b j.2c or 3d j.a j.2c since that poke has more of a downward hitbox.

Projectiles Perhaps summon pumpkin midair to delay your fall and make her whiff the 2c, then punish by winding down the pumpkin and comboing her? I find 2d harder to deal with because she can IAD backwards, do j.dd, crescent saber cancel into another j.dd, and land before I hit the ground. Then she gets a free 5dd to start her full-screen mixups again.

Activate wind right before the smack. Back throw is easier to combo into than forward throw since the opponent floats higher.

No one can really know for sure except for him, but I have some ideas. Maybe he felt that keeping meter handy for a rapid cancel or counter assault would be more beneficial than adding a little more damage to his combos. Either of those options help maintain corner pressure. Another thing I noticed about those 236a's after a 5cdc is that it's burst safe. He might not be willing to let v-13 knock him away with a burst and give up the corner pressure. Sacrifice damage for better positioning. 3d j.b j.2c mid-combo is just a hit-confirm string. If you think the opponent will block your 5b, then you'll probably go for an overhead automatically. 3d j.b j.2c is backdash safe, acts as a 2-hit overhead, and keeps the combo going if the 5b hits. Covers more options at the expense of more wind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4quTu4pxcW4&feature=PlayList&p=151F6C61598AFA81&index=0 This is the set where N-O (Rachel) has a bunch of matches with Chou (v-13). Some interesting things from 7:05 - 7:20 above: 1) Movement - Good example of closing in on v-13 from the air by using wind. Jump > 3d wind > IAD > j.b 2) Positioning/Resets - He doesn't perform OTG's after landing a corner 5cdc. Instead, he summons frog and does 236a. From what I understand, the 236a will hit if Nu rolls or lays there and combos into the frog. Thus, Nu is forced to neutral tech and block the frog - forcing her to stay in the corner and giving Rachel a free mixup at the expense of less damage. When he performs 3c into 214a oki like usual, Nu is willing to take the hit from the second 3c to get out of the corner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbEMmtYh244&feature=PlayList&p=151F6C61598AFA81&index=3#watch-main-area 3) Guard crushing/Lockdown - Check out 1:45-2:05 in the above video. By foregoing the OTG, he forces Nu into the corner and repeats a pattern: Conditions: opponent is cornered and blocking a frog, Rachel has pumpkin ready (i) Rachel summons frog while the frog is still attacking, and winds the pumpkin down to fill in the gap between frogs (ii) Rachel uses 5b to keep the opponent in block stun long enough for the next frog to activate and goes for a quick mixup or 5c to burn the guard libra (iii) Frog hits, Rachel re-summons pumpkin (iv) Repeat steps (i) to (iii) Marvel tactics, baby

There's not much time to summon pumpkin after a 3c > 236a > frog otg. If you want to hit the opponent with 3c in time, then you have to just do it faster. Against characters that it works on, it's worthwhile to just do 3c > pumpkin > frog otg and skip the 236a altogether. It gives you more time.

Chou (Nu) vs N-O (Rachel) http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=151F6C61598AFA81 Enjoy. Edit: Changed link. Didn't realize they were up on youtube already.

5 winds (regain 1 wind during combo), 100% meter, 3 poles on the opponent sj 8d2d2c (lvl3) (wait for opponent to drop altitude) 632146c 4d236a 632146c sj 8d2d2c (lvl3) - 12210 dmg You can probably follow that up with 6c9d, but the opponent was already dead.