Seyluun

I don't think Rachel is much of a problem for Tao, she just cant keep her away for ever and has limited options as soon as the cat get in. Jin on the other hand has both the great normals that will ensure Tao has a hard time to come close, and the damaging reversals that make pressuring him close to 50/50 in term of reward. Plus he's overall a very strong character able to deal solid damage from almost every situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QThHUfG14ug&feature=plcp First tao combo video! (that i know of..) Eh, didnt see it got posted in the other thread. Anyway, damage looks pretty good after all, as she can carry the other guy into the corner from quite a distance. Real midscreen, meterless combo will be nothing but a setup to get into position, tho.

http://www.twitch.tv/team_exe/b/342843866 Tsujikawa vs Puromete, first to 9-dan set. It is disquieting how low the average damage for Tao is in that set, Tsujikawa has the hardest time breaking 2k.

Actually i m pretty sure they added that "feature" a couple of years ago through a firmware update.

I'm hearing some rumors that the game would be region locked on ps3 (which would basically kill the game in europe)... Anyone knows anything?

Isn't Carl's neutral "wait a step behind Ms Wall until you see a chance to cross the opponent"?

It may not be fully tight, but it's close to and makes for a good frame trap, unless your opponent is very good at timing reversals (or they ib'ed the 5b of course). 6b first hit has a better horizontal reach than it seems and can be used in strings without issues most of the times.

Losing to AC is already a big red flag anyway. I m surprised at backdash beating sledge tho, i ll have to try. Now for some random stuff of my own, keep in mind that i have less than 200 matches played so some or all of it might be proved wrong as both Valk players and opponents gain experience: As far as blockstrings go, i like to start with 5b 6b. 5b is the pretty obvious choice with its decent speed and range, and if the other guy try to mash something the ensuing CH will make 6b connect for a solid combo. If 5b is blocked but they try something and get hit by 6b, it s an easily hitconfirmable FC for big damage. If also blocked, 6b will still get them closer to you, something you need to get damage from your lows. You can then either 6c>5d, comboing if it hits, going for jb>land>command throw mixup if it is blocked or do 3c or 236b rc if you trained your opponent to block high. Being in wolf form is the biggest reversal magnet ever. Standing near a downed opponent in wolf form and demorphing as they get up will net you some damaging punishes. Be cautious when using the j214b extender at the end of his combos, as it s very easy to fully deplete your wolf gauge, locking you in wolf form until you hit the ground, with often catastrophic consequences. Canceling 236s on whiff with 5d is a good way to travel the whole screen quite fast, while protecting yourself from most melees attacks during the first part. Of course dont try that when you re up against Lambda or the like. Using wolf form for neutral play is not a very good idea as you need the gauge for all your combos, so chose an angle and go for morph>instant dash since it s the maximum you can do and still be able to do a normal combo afterward if it hits. Nearly max range 5c>236a>rc>2c>... is a good combo, but be sure to delay the rc a little to raise your chances of 2c connecting. In wolf form, command dash jb>5b will very often fail to combo if the opponent is not on the ground. Even at very low height they can tech and hit you while you recover from 5b so be careful. 632146 is not Jayoku Houtennjin but it s still a good reversal to use inside the opponent's pressure. As long as the bite hits the rest will follow, even on airborns opponents. Go ahead and do j214b after most jb. It's almost always good, be it after a blocked jb in the air (if they do anything else but barriering they ll get hit) or an air to ground jb (will combo from pretty high and far for some damage) Try and stay on the ground. Your air to ground is less than impressive, as jC good vertical hitbox is made almost useless by its feeble hitstun, causing you to get punished even on hit all too often. JB isnt bad but pretty much everyone else will have just as good or better air to air attacks. On the other hand, 2c is a great anti air, and you also got very good ground to ground and anti jump out pokes (5c, 6c and 236c). Obviously, dont try to throw people if you are not a (human) dash away from one of the edges. 800 damage to get a fullscreen away from you is an excellent deal for the opponent. So far I experienced more trouble against keepaway characters than against melee ones, unsurprisingly. Getting in is a pain as traveling the whole screen in wolf form isnt going to work (not enough times, anyway). Walking, being patient and surprising the opponent with a 236 or a wolf dash seems to be the way to go. Overall, he feels very strong. A lot stronger than loopless Makoto.

You should be able to just land and 5d>5b rather than doing 3d after j.214b, saving some wolf meter.

All the moves that can be "wolf canceled" put him in command dash state without the need to press C. You also can do so on whiff, 236a>5d can be a pretty good way to close on the opponent.

yeah 5b 3c combo wont see much use. Midscreen you ll need either meter for 5b 5c 236a RC or CH 5b 6b.

And Makoto proved that big damage mean nothing if you cant land a hit in the first place. Midscreen RC combo: (5b)>5c>236a>rc>2c>6b>5b>6c>236c>9d>jaa(a)>236b>236a>5cd>jb>j214b>9dd>jb>djb>jc so basically his 2c combo with a 236a before that. that give him good damage from a nearly max range 5c so it s good to learn. There's plenty of combos to upgrade or add to the first post btw. Correct wolf bnb is jb>5b>236b>236b>236a>5cd>jb>j214b>9dd>jb>djb>jc. Also, doing CH 5b>6b>5b>6c>236c>9d>jaa(a)>236b>236a>5cd>jb>j214b>9dd>jb>djb>jc give you about 4.3k damage.

What do you mean "reset"? As far as i can tell Valk mixups are close to non existent. I think I'd rather go for the meterless 5k combo on any 2c, and save the meter so i can do some damage from a mid-long range 5b or 5c. Anyone got a decent combo after midscreen 3c by the way? I dont experience much difficulty landing jaaa in the corner, tho i have a harder time delaying the 236 so i can do the C>D>B from the correct height afterward. Wouldn't it be better to go 5b>5c>236c>wolf combo after 6b?

6c midscreen bnb seems to be 6c>5d>j.a>236b>236a>5cd>j.b>j.214b>j.b>dj.b>j.c for about 3.2k, you can most certainly add the 236236c ender for some more damage. About his midscreen 2c combo, you can add the j.214b extend at the end for about 200 more damage.

Tell me again how Lambda-Tao is 4.5-5.5? Tao all but nullify Lambda's drive and most of her specials, has far better normals, mobility, and damage output. I mean come on, it was 5.5-4.5 for Tao IN CT.

Alright, thanks to you both. Edit: What's to do after FC 6C?

Going back to more basic stuff, how do i get into taunt loop from an air throw? The first post got two 4bc combo listed and no Jbc, even tho the number of rep for jbc is shown later, is it a clerical error? Thanks in advance.

On the other hand, the good tager will IB a lot, gain on you inch by inch, and try for a max range sledge/spark bolt CH, especially if you do 5dd 4dd, since he can just backdash the 4dd then SB. Never EVER act pulsar on tager, only reason to AP is to get on the other side when you re cornered/near the corner. Always aim to hit him from the max range of your swords. Since it s pretty much impossible to completly avoid spark bolt, you will be magnetized from blocking it at least twice a round against a competent tager, be then extremly wary from sumperjump D and magna tech wheel. Since rounds are likely to last a looong time, remember to use 236236d into offensive burst for a guard crush to do some damage, and learn those tager specific combo. The matchup is 7-3 AT JAPANESE LEVEL, if you can play like this (http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm7291834), just watch some MikeZ-Goryuu and you ll see it s not so easy even at the best US level; it's a bit like Potemkin-dizzy, totally onesided at first glance but closer once you find a competent opponent.

My advice would be to keep it simple. Do your utmost to land a sword first, blocked or not, since it ll allow you to take the initiative and run the usual mixups, wich incidently work very well against Nu. When in doubt, go for double hit rather than to attempt to go in and eat a counter, it s just not worth it. Do not do a 236d outside of combo, as a non-rc'ed, blocked one can be punished or at least allow the opponent to take the initiative, which is almost as bad. Be wary of short dash 2c5c at the start of the round. From fullscreen, pay attention and dont do anything that can be eaten by 236236d if your opoonent has the meter (and of course look for the opening to do it yourself). As always, dont get impatient and try to goat the opponent into chasing you.