Ronove

Hehe, yeah I remember you. :D

Psychic IB? KowtoRobinson, it doesn't take a rocket scientist that you need to block low and immediately do an IB. Tao's only overhead (excluding 236c which I'd never use in a blockstring) is her 6b which is amazingly slow and punishable, so all you need to do is to IB low and the 2a will become a joke. Second thing, 2a prorates like HELL. A Tao player that mashes 2a more than one or two times won't EVER land damage, even on counterhit. Smart Tao players will try to stagger with 5b rather than abusing 2a. Watch videos of good Tao players and you'll realize they don't mash/abuse 2a, you may only see them do that if they're trying to poke out of pressure but that's really it. Tao has the lowest guard libra in the game, we can't block else we get guard crashed after one single blockstring, without her 2a she would have NOTHING ELSE to get out pressure in whatever matchup (her counterassault requires 50% meter that one does not have right from the bat). So quit your rant, seriously. You're making it sound as if Tao's is this incredibly undefeatable character thanks to her 2a. Bang can be a real pain if you know your spacing game and if you know how to IB. If you're having issues, up your game. Jeez.

You should ask TaoFTW about it, I could try to incorporate them in the new combo thread as a separate section but hear his opinion first. :X

That's because whenever they see you getting in they'll either backdash and buffer a command grab, or they'll superjump and try stuff you with their air-to-ground moves. Bait their moves and punish. If you happen to be right close to them, use 2a to pressure but if you see them backdashing, get the hell out before you eat a buster. Cross-up j.B and sometimes even cross-up j.C will also be useful during your blockstring pressure. Even 2d~b->j.C will be helpful to score some nice counterhits if they're mashing on A moves to poke out of your blockstrings.

I assume the 5k combo you speak of is the one that goes ch j.d->airdash j.c->horizontal drive loop->j.5d~a->vertical drive loop->236bb->236bbbb ender or mixup airthrow ender (when they're at the very top of the stage), right? I really gotta hit training mode and learn to capitalize on that.

After, it's the same timing as the ~b cancel except you have to be more reactive after you pull it off since the ~a cancel animation recovers more quickly than the ~b one (which is why her aerial combos involving ~a cancels aren't as easy as the ~b ones, in my opinion). On an unrelated note, since I'm compiling a new combo thread, I've noticed that we kind of lack a good list of anti-air combos (from all kind of starters, 2d, j.5d, j.c and so on). I have a couple of them but it wouldn't hurt if you guys could share yours here, the more of them we gather the more complete the new thread will be. Right now I think not a lot of Tao players (myself included) capitalize a lot on anti-air hits, while I realized that in certain situations (like a CH 2d) you can really do some nice heavy damage.

I don't get why people complain about her 2a when it prorates like hell. I do use it sometimes to anticipate an opponent's blockstring but anything that I chan after that won't ever deal enough damage anyway. In most matches it's like I'm hitting for a while, I mess something up and there goes my advantage. x_x And I agree, a Bang who knows how to cross up and apply pressure with nails is quite a pain in the butt since we're always forced to block and risk guard crashing unless we IB our way out of it. I haven't faced a lot of Bangs who know how to do that though (but maybe because I'm still level 42). Most of the average Bangs still use the autoguard move which get regularly stuffed by 2a. But when I faced Bang players who did know how to crossup, use nails effectively and even do some nice resets I really started sweating hard. :X

Good stuff, boss! I have a new update coming in a few hours since there are a couple of new japanese vids around, featuring evergreen Keita, and recent discovery Mao. And of course dustloopers' vids will be added to the list as well. :kitty

That's something I didn't know. Usually I just try to make it whiff since if I block it there's some incoming mixup (which I want to avoid). However although I am no Bang player I don't think they should ever throw their super without chaining it to something. It's kinda like versus Ragna, whenever they do Carnage Scissors from across the screen I just 22C and they eat some counterhit damage. :X

Don't use 3c and 6c in your blockstrings. Only use them after hitconfirming. Stick with blockstrings made of 2a, 5b, 2b, 6a (but only if you predict that the opponent is going to jump back or do something else) and 6b when you're sure you're not going to get punished for it. Mix them up. Depending on the matchup and on how the enemy is blocking (if they're blocking, IBing, barrier guarding) you may want to retaliate/block for a second rather than keeping up with a constant pressure because chances are that you'll be at frames disadvantage and will eat a counterhit. Staggering is also very important, it will get you some nice counterhits (most of them from 5b, and CH 5b leads to her 6c combos). And that's it. Tao doesn't have a lot of variety on blockstrings, it's all about mixing the few tools we have depending on the matchup.

What kind of burst? Any kind? Anyway, if you do a golden burst that should be enough, her counter assault should be something you use when you don't want to burst (or if you already have used the burst).

The point of mixing the throw late is not only for damage purposes, but for knockdown/oki game purposes as well. If you do it early in your combo string and you follow it up with other stuff chances are the enemy will tech in the air. So unless you were aiming for that for a valid reason (like making them air tech for combo reset purposes), it's better to have the throw (or airthrow) mixed up as combo enders since they'll give you a knockdown and will allow you to play your oki game on the ground. The only situation I can think of where one would anticipately mixup a throw/airthrow is versus Tager. Like doing 5b->3c->5d~6->mixup aithrow->vertical drive loop. That will make Tager recover/tech in the air at the end of it (rather than scoring a knockdown on the ground), and since a lot of Tagers love to j.2c while airborne and the enemy is close/beneath you're basically using that mixup to bait that move and punish it with an other combo (I personally bait it like that and since I end up falling on the floor first I punish it with a ch 5c->6c->combo ). But besides certain character specific situations, I'd rather mixup the throw at the end of a combo string rather than doing it earlier.

@sheriff mixing up throws in the drive loops is something I often try to do atleast once during a match. Good players usually react in time and avoid being thrown, but doing it once (to see if the opponent techs in time from it or if he's sleeping) is always worth it. But, do not use it early in your combos. Try to squeeze as much damage as you can from the normal hits and instead replace part of the 236bbbb ender with a mixup throw for +1k damage (if the opponent fails to tech).

Sorry if I didn't understand that bit of your question, I thought you were asking for a better combo ender when usually all the combos that Tao can do will always end with a string of 236bb->236bbbb since it's her only way to nail the opponent on the floor while being airborne. There are plenty of variations in the drive loop combos, that depend on how well you can pull of the the various cancels. The reason why the 2d~9 j.c 9d~9 j.c 9d~9 236bb 236bbb is so popular is because it does fairly good damage while being fairly easy to execute. If you want to maximize damage and drive usage at the same time you have to include the ~a cancels (and ~c cancels used as well, but they're not used as often as the ~a ones). The ~a cancel (and the ~c cancel as well) is what usually allows Tao to alter her position during the combo when facing the opponent, allowing her to make use of as many drive attacks as possible. For instance: 5b->3c->(5d~6->j.c)->5d~a->9d->9d->236bb->236bbbb In this combo you use all four possible horizontal drives (5d), and by ~a canceling the last one Tao slightly falls below the opponent in order to follow with her vertical drives (she can only do two of them in this combo and then she has to follow with a 236bb->236bbbb else the opponent will tech). An other example of maximizing the drive usage is with an anti-air combo: 2d->(j.5d~6->j.C)x4->j.5d~a->8d~6->8d~6->j.C(or 9d, it's not visible anymore on screen)->236bb->236bbbb Again, you use four horizontal drives, and three vertical ones thanks to the ~a cancel that shifted Tao's position during the combo. The ~c cancel works in a similar way except that it shifts Tao slightly above, so when you input that you're usually doing it so that you can follow up either with an other 5d in the air (in case the opponent would happen to be above you, the ~c cancel will align Tao at the same height) or in case you want to use a j.2d drive. You can find an other example of maximizing the drive usage in this combo video that has been recently posted: At 01:20 the combo 5b->6a(1)->j.5d~b->taunt->236a->2d~6->j.2d~c->j.2d~a->9d->236bb->j.c->9d->236bbbb Notice how the ~c cancel is used to follow up with an other j.2d, and how the ~a cancel is used to move Tao below in order to do a 9d. There are plenty of other examples in that vid that show you how to creatively make full us of all her drive attacks in combo string by using the ~a and ~c cancels. However as I said earlier, as creative and as useful they may be, the 9d->j.c loop is usually preferred since it's easier to pull off. The reason is that all these ~a and ~c combos are very character specific (reason: opponent's hitbox size, how fast they fall) while the 9d->j.c loop (or the 5d~6->j.c) is pretty much universal. The reason you see Taunt combos used is because thanks to the Taunt's proration they can still land great damage with the normal drive->j.c loop rather than trying to be fancy with the ~a and ~c cancels. It's all part of the whole discussion about reducing the risks while maximizing the rewards. The more drive cancels you use the more harder and character specific the combo will be. Sure you'll land more drive attacks in the combo, but is it worthy to risk to accidentally whiff a cancel when you have a safer way (see Taunt combos, or 6c combos) to deal good damage? I hope this answered a bit of your question this time. 2:09 It's not the same combo starter but the execution of the 214d->j.2d~b bit is the same. You want Tao to be above the opponent when inputting the j.2d because that way when she lands after the ~b cancel she'll still be in front and you'll be able to follow up with a Taunt (or 5b, or 5c, whatever). The timing is really tricky thoughf (in fact I rarely used that combo), which is why I suggest doing this instead: backthrow->214d->j.5d~b->taunt->236a->2d~9->(j.c -> 9d~9)x2->236bb->236bbb Easier to pull of because in order to do the horizontal 5d~b Tao has to be at the same height as the opponent, hence the timing is certainly easier to nail (specially on character with a mid-size/big hitbox).

- 236bb->236bbbb ender will give you a knockdown. It's obvious that if you do only one 236b the enemy will tech before he hits the ground. The reason you do all that 236bb->236bbbb (rather than just doing 236bbbb) is because besides maximizing damage you want to nail your enemy on the ground so that you can play a little of mixup on oki or immediately start your pressure game. - As for 236c, don't hold the C button if you're inputting it after a 6c or after a taunt. You need it to come out immediately. You only hold it a little when you backthrow (although it's not really necessary) - for your third question: I do it with the same timing I do the 236c (right as Tao's foot touches the ground after her little hop during the backthrow animation). If you're whiffing the taunt you might be missing the timing of your ~b cancel (which is actually not canceling at all). What kind of sound do you hear when canceling the drive? You can tell it from that if your ~b cancel succesfully followed or not.

well, it's a TK 214D, I thought people were already aware of it. ^^;

Good stuff, Sileh. I'm actually compiling the new combo thread under TaoFTW's supervision, so all the stuff you guys post here will be gathered and re-organized in a new thread. On an other note, I suggest everybody to train the "universal combo" that Tao can use against anybody on the cast (works on Carl as well except that you need to make it shorter by using one less vertical drive loop) I'm talking about the 5b->3c->5d~6->j.c->236b->j.2d~b->5c->your preferred vertical drive loop route (2d~6->j.c->9d~9->etc etc) I have a small tip for those who have a little trouble with the "j.c->236b->j.2d~b" bit of that combo. If you ever played street fighter, you certainly know about 2-in-1 motions. If not, I'll explain it right now. When doing j.c and 236b, rather than pressing c and then doing 236b, you quickly do "2c->36b" basically you input the c attack during the 236 motion, right at its beginning, and at the end of the 236 you do the b. This way you don't need to let the stick go on neutral again, you take advantage of the fact that Tao's j.c can come out no matter what directional input you give. This way the j.c->236b will come out easily and you'll be able to calmly do the following ->j.2d~b which works in the same exact way as the one present in taunt combos (so if you nailed the timing in the taunt combo you'll nail it in this one as well).

I suggest taking a look at one of the vids I recently posted featuring Keita vs Hima: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om-7KbDjMh8 Things that are worthy to be noticed about that vid: - When Keita wins his round, it's because he managed to either corner Hima, or to keep him on the ground with his pressure. On oki he uses jump-in j.B as overhead option rather than being risky with 6b. - When Keita loses a round is usually because Hima manages to avoid pressure and play Arakune's airgame with his dive stuff, j.6a/b/c stuff etc. - Keita tries to capitalize on every drive move he lands on Hima from the distance. At 03:58 notice how Keita RCs the drive straight to 3C->combo in order to stick on Hima and avoid a counter from him. At 05:21, start of the round: Keita goes straight for a 2D because he knows Hima (and Arakunes in general) will immediately jump to set their zoning/spacing game. Keita immediately capitalizes on that with a nice air-combo that pretty much goes like 2d->(j.5d~6->j.C)x4->j.5d~a->8d~6->8d~6->j.C(or 5d~6, it's not visible)->236bb->236bbbb High damaging combo that Keita seems to be often using during that match when catching Arakune in their air with a 2D.

Thread updated with new Gamechariot vids! And added the dustloopers' vids as well! :3 Moreover, I slightly re-organized the list by separating the japanese vids from the us/Dustloop vids in each matchup column.

A couple of things after having faced a friend of mine who plays a solid Nu: - Although it has been repeated in this thread, I'll stress it as well. Watch out for her 6C, 2C, 3C crap. Chances are Nu will throw you a couple of D swords to make you evade them while you approach her and pull a 5C or a 2C (which comes out stupidly fast for a C move) right as you land. Even if you block, you'll be caught in some crappy blockstun which will lead to Nu's mixup game which is something you absolutely want to avoid. So either be VERY QUICK at closing distance, or bait her C shit and punish on whiff before they can escape. - Keep your blockstrings simple. 2A (max 2 times), 5b and 2b. 6B against her is VERY RISKY. I know it because I did try to throw it out but ended up eating a counterhit C. If you really want to use it don't do it often and don't use it predictably. 5C as blockstring ender is very risky if they already blocked/IBed your stuff since they're probably be mashing her 2C/3C which come out in 9 frames. Kara-throw them. - j.C is your best tool from the air and hopefully score a CH. - Don't drive if you know she's gonna block it or if you know the drive won't connect. She'll punish you HARD for it. However, 214D is really good in general when you want to quickly approach her (besides the IAD) from the distance. - Hitconfirm. Yeah, it's supposed to be the golden rule in any matchup, but really I can't stop stressing this. Hitconfirm your stuff. This is not a matchup where you can allow yourself to risk too much because Nu is godlike at punishing and good Nus will be baiting stuff as much as they can since they can't really pressure. Only throw your C crap if after hitconfirm or if you are 100% sure they're going to connect (after Nu whiffed one of her long recovery moves). - Watch out for Nu's TK 2147D. They love that move as round opener, and they may also throw it out if they see you approaching from the ground with a dash. - Every time they use Act Pulsar to get behind you, most of times this will lead into a throw attempt. - Don't get too defensive. Only block/IB when you really don't have better options. And that's it as far as my current personal experience goes. I haven't played a lot of them since as strange is at may sound they seem to be a rare breed, compared to the rest of top-tier cast (I definetely played more Rachel/Arakune/Jin than Nu). If you have a good Nu in your friend list don't hesistate to practice with them as much as you can.

Gamechariot released new vid footage which also contains Keita playing (an an other Tao player as well). I am waiting for the these vids to show up on NicoNico or Youtube then I'll proceed linking them here.

If they're doing 5D just 5b them to oblivion as you block it. If they're doing 2D, see TaoFTW's posts on how to deal with it. And beware of their j.D as well, if they score a knockdown expect them to run towards you and do a IAD j.D right as you get up as part of their mixup game. Or, they might be faking their 2C->3C->painful stuff to make you jump on wakeup and go straight for an air combo. So keep your eyes open. Noel has a great mixup game once she's scored a knockdown.

- It's good as crossup move on standing opponents that have a fairly big/mid hitbox. - Can also be used if you're "falling" together with your opponent but he's above you, j.B has a sort of vertical hitbox compared to j.A and j.C

Today I faced an other 2D happy Noel. The airgrab worked, but what made the difference is the 6a in my blockstrings. Since it doesn't have a great range I usually try do it not too late (after a 5b), but it's great stuff because usually they would attempt a 2D since it's the only thing that cleanly beats our lows/5b. So basically they throw their 2D and our 6a scores a magnificent counterhit for some major punishment. However it's better to use it sparingly, as they only need to crouch or perfect guard to punish it. However, throwing it as part of our mixup inbetween blockstring is certainly not a bad idea. I also noticed that 4d~b is good if they're using barrier (and then go for their beloved 2D). If they're blocking->2D, then 6a or just block/IB is better.