Heavy_Mental

Added them. Yes, I am still alive. Still only got CT at the shitty local arcade here and no console or PSP, leaving me little incentive to post here.

xD Permission to sig, good sir?

Edited it. It's the video link for the Gadget Flinger setup now.

That explains it. Thanks.

That bit sounds interesting. Can someone else confirm this?

That's pretty much it really. Learn how to IB common blockstrings, multi-hit moves, common pokes, etc. With enough repetition, IBing should become automatic. Thanks for telling me what I already know?

The only thing that can catch an air neutral tech IIRC is magnetized 2C xx Collider (delayed). It gets beaten by late tech though and you can eat a potentially big combo for it. Speaking from CT experience, if you IB 360A Ragna's stuff enough, that usually scares them into either cutting their blockstrings short or resorting to JC-able moves or Gauntlet Hades. As long as your opponent isn't too close, you can usually 5A/2A them out of Gauntlet Hades if they've got meter to RC. If they don't, 360B will catch non-tk. Gauntlet Hades on normal block, unless your opponent is holding up or something. IB 360B is pretty much a guaranteed punish for non-tk. GH. And while I've never landed it myself because my reactions to JCs are arse, you can probably 2A/2C your opponent after IB'ing 6A or 3C. I guess it depends on what aerial move they choose to throw out. Should beat j.C and j.D at least.

Work on your defense and mixup. Learn how to tick-throw. 360 off 6A is a pretty huge gimmick since 6A has so much recovery frames during which your opponent can get a CH off you. No one's going to caught by it after the first time. Go with 5A, 5B, 2B, j.A, and j.B instead. I noticed that a lot of the combos you ate happened because you were getting impatient and hitting buttons when you were supposed to be blocking and waiting for their blockstring to finish. Barrier-blocking can be a good idea but also learn IBing if you can. It's online, I realize that, but IB helps out Tager's defense a good deal. EDIT: Also, don't move backwards unless there's a very good reason to. It's smart to not put yourself at risk, but you also want to press the offensive. If your opponent's just jumping back, then there's your chance to get in, which is usually a grappler's biggest problem (but especially with Tager) besides dealing with pressure and zoning.

Yeah, Ragna is annoying to get off your back. IB makes it easier, but it's still a pain-in-the-ass matchup.

I don't think that Tager was too good. I don't agree with his corner combos and his tech-trap attempt at the end of round 1. In addition to that, he failed to respect Ragna's DP and was probably mashing tech (hence the two pink throw reject misses). Based on my experience with Ragna and watching match vids, IB 360A makes a lot of Ragna's ground pressure unsafe, so Ragna has to either take to air-to-ground pressure or constantly switch up his blockstrings. Tager has a tough time keeping pressure on Ragna once he's got meter. He doesn't have any good oki options either. Once Ragna builds momentum, Tager's in for a long ride on the pain train if his defense isn't up to snuff. A lot of the damage that that Tager took was from not respecting Ragna's wakeup or similarly dumb mistakes like mashing during Gauntlet Hades or forgetting to barrier block. I guess success in this matchup hinges a lot on Tager's defense and patience. Ragna doesn't have the most life. Tager can deal respectable damage to Ragna, but Ragna can more than return the favor simply because he has many more oppurtunities to get in than Tager. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for showing me this. I'll add it to the guide ASAP.

Definitely not Carl. He has a tiny hitbox. 360A, Gadget Finger works on Makoto as well.

If Bang can punish your Spark Volt with Drive, then you simply are being far too predictable with it. What some people don't seem to understand is that you DON'T have to use your Spark Volt the instant you've got full meter. If he's trying to bait your Spark Volt from far away, just simply use the oppurtunity to get in. It may seem tempting to use sj.C (whiff) to get in, but don't - just walk over. That way, you can still Spark Volt if he decides to do something unsafe.

My favorite buster has to be Heavenly Potemkin Buster by far, especially done as Psychic or AA. Feels as satisfying as landing a 720 tech-trap.

Only nicovideo eh? Damn. Redirector can't work for the life of me.

All different outcomes would be prefered. Just to be thorough.

Maybe it's because I can't get the correct visual of your tech-trap, but it sounds a lot worse than the original one, especially with the way you described it. Got a video? That would help clear things up for me. Also, I don't really see a reason to be guessing how your opponent will tech. I can usually confirm the tech and catch them with no problem. At worst, I'll buffer the 360. If they neutral, I hit A or B, if they forward/backward-tech, I hit C, and if they don't tech, I just hit D. EDIT 1: @ Axis I added your second "pseudo-tech-trap" into the notes section under the previous NT Collider (whiff) 360/Collider tech-trap you offered since it seemed to make more sense there. EDIT 2: Since we've got a decent amount of tech-traps/resets here already, it'd be great if some people could go out and test them for their effectiveness. Mid-Screen tech-traps 7 and 12 need testing. 7 to see which characters it will work on and if it'll catch FR and BR for sure with 360/720. 12 needs to be tested to see if FR escapes 360. Gadget RC resets 1, 2, and 7 need some additional testing as well, methinks. I want to find out what other options can beat 1 and how to counter them. Hopefully someone can find out the character-specific timing for Gadget Flinger if there are any. 7 just needs to be confirmed that 2C succesfully uncombos.

Looks decent so far. Hopefully you could add the damage values that are already listed? It'd be great if someone with BBCS could add the meter and magnetism gain for each combo as well.

Post updated. Keep 'em coming!

Post updated with all the changes Mike Z suggested. Good looking out. Sorry for talking down your tech-trap. xD And thanks iOryan, I appreciate it a lot. EDIT: Could we get a sticky for this thread and the Tager Video Archive and Combo thread?

Gadget RC Resets Here's a useful video on the general uses for Gadget Finger. The second half contains useful information on Gadget Flinger. A must-view. 1.Gadget Finger RC, 5D 360/720 Notes: 5D must be done immediately after the RC. Do the 360720 as seen as you see the white tech flash. If your opponent is mashing jab, go for 360A/720 instead of 360B, which should be usual option. If your opponent chooses not to tech, the 5D will have pulled them close enough for you to go for tick-throws. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT01KPEuSFo#t=1m47s 2.Gadget Finger RC, Collider (whiff) Notes: The infamous “Gadget Flinger” setup. Allows you to crossunder ambiguously if you fling your opponent high enough. I didn’t post a “catch move” here since this setup offers a lot of possibilities. 2B and 360B are some of the more standard and reliable options. Timing on the Collider is pretty strict so practice up. Only character it won't work on is Tager because of his gigantic hitbox. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpvrafHIyhw#t=02m29s 3.Gadget Finger RC walk up 360B Notes: Setup stolen from Jan. Err, yeah. Walk up, 360B. Requires a little bit of timing so the 360B doesn’t pink. Probably the most gimmicky setup on here, but as always, the element of surprise is on your side and is what makes this reset more effective than it might appear. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9azfjDKMI&feature=related#t=16m13s 4.Gadget Finger RC, 5C Gadget (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Setup stolen from Akira. Similar timing to the Gadget 5D setup. Just make sure not to clock your opponent in the face with 5C while they’re still in the air. This tech trap is a little on the slow side since Gadget whiff does not recover as quickly as it appears. 360 must be held. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3us6pAYhJWg&playnext=1&videos=k78uZ-DdQPE&feature=sub#t=0m59s 5.Gadget Finger RC, walk up, 2B 360/720 Notes: Just your average tick-throw setup, except off a Gadget RC. 6.Gadget Finger RC, walk up, 2B>5B>6B,> followup combo Notes: Overhead setup. Setup inspired by Bao. Feel free to omit the 2B. I use it to make sure my opponent will be blocking low and not trying to jump out before I throw out the overhead. Effectiveness of this setup largely depends on how good your opponent is at blocking overheads. What makes this setup work is that after getting hit low, most people will immediately start blocking low, which at that point you throw out the overhead. 7. Any 6 hit+ combo, Gadget Finger RC, delayed 6A>2C Notes: This one's from Axis. Main use of this reset is to catch mashy players. Done correctly, the 6A will hit the opponent while they are grounded and still count as part of the previous combo. However, the 2C will uncombo and land a FC on anyone who's mashing. On block, a delayed 4D will CH anyone who tries to IB punish with a non-invincible move.

Corner Tech-Traps 1. (NT, BT, FT) 6A>2C xx Collider, B-Sledge xx Additional Attack Collider/360 Notes: Decent old-school CT corner magnetism-less tech-trap. Depending on how close you are to the corner, you might not be able to catch their FT or NT. Being too far away leaves you unable to catch their NT with 360 and being too close allows them to cross you up with FT. In the former situation, you can tag them with 5D (optional). In the latter, you might be able to catch them 2C if they aren’t barrier-blocking. 2. (NT, BT, FT) 6A>2C xx Collider, 6C>JC, j.2C, 5B Collider/360/720 Notes: Setup stolen from LostSoul526, who was probably inspired by Galileo (whom we all shamelessly steal tricks from). Anyways, I’m not completely sure if the Collider will catch an un-magnetized BT since the vid shows the Collider sucking the opponent in for a while. Maybe LostSoul526 held it for a bit though, I’m not sure. The 360A may or may not require magnetism to land. 720 will definitely hit, though you lose the ability to catch BT or FT since the 720 has to be buffered during 5B and activated almost immediately. This tech-trap is probably at its most useful when magnetized since landing the Collider reset will allow you to put your opponent back in the corner for more shenanigans. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auRj9SsHgcI&playnext=1&videos=Ko3eqQnlcBU#t=1m09s 3. (NT, BT ) 6A>2C xx Collider, 6C xx MTW, 2B Collider/360 Notes: This setup is only really reliable if you expect a neutral tech or you are looking for a way to kill your opponent without risking a burst. FT will cross you up, so 2C is your best bet to catch it. Only dumb people will BT into the corner. Mid-Screen Tech-Traps 1. (NT, BR, FR) 6A>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 6B>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff) 5D (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Setup stolen from Mike Z. Anyways, this setup is a pretty sick puppy. Make sure to immediately buffer the 720 after the 5D whiff for best effect. 720 will utterly rape anyone who attempts a BR or FR. If I remember correctly, held 360A and possibly 360B will catch a BR or FR as well. The best part about this setup though is that a neutral-tech will leave them directly next to you, making for a great opportunity to catch jumpers with 2B or go for tick-throws. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrK4lAwKBpk#t=4m17s 2. (NT, BT, FT) 6A>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 6B>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 5B 360/Collider Notes: A nice alternative to the above tech-trap. 3. (NT) 6A>2C xx Collider, Collider whiff, 6B>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 5B> 4D RC Collider (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Setup stolen from Galileo. There are better traps out there but this setup is great for catching people who forget no to NT Tager’s Drives. Collider whiff must be done immediately following the RC to ensure the opponent is pulled directly next to you. A similar trap can be done with OTG 2D and magnetized OTG 5D. The latter does not require meter so it’s probably the one you’ll want to go with. Timing for the Collider whiff is slightly less lenient for OTG 2D but again, you’ll probably want to go for magnetized OTG 5D instead. 4. (Throw Tech) 6A>2C xx Collider, Spark Volt, j.B+C (Pink Throw) j.D (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Setup stolen from Galileo. This is one of the flashier and more unconventional tech-traps. Instead of having to deal with NT, BT, and FT, you only have to deal with throw break or no throw break. The key to pulling off this tech-trap successfully is to buffer the 720 immediately after the throw. Keep spinning the stick after the j.D whiff and hit C upon landing. If the opponent doesn’t tech the throw, simply let go of the stick. Though this may seem like a “lesser of two evils/pick your poison” (Pink Throw vs. 720) setup, there are a lot of holes with this tech-trap. Firstly, characters with long-ranged, aerial normals such as Ragna’s j.C or Jin’s j.C will be able to hit you during the j.D whiff. You can also be hit with projectiles such as Jin’s j.236D and Bang’s nails. Secondly, the same problem with NT 360/720 setups still exists here. Your opponent can jump out immediately after landing. Despite these two problems, this tech-trap will still catch some people off guard. An alternative to the relatively expensive Spark Volt, j.B+C setup is to simply go into j.B+C with any jump-cancellable move such as 6A or 6C. 5. (Emergency Roll) 6A>2C xx Collider, 6C xx Spark Volt 6A (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Setup taken from Darlos9D. Spark Volt tech-trap setups are pretty expensive and risky (or should I say riskier?) but very rewarding. This tech-trap’s strength is in tricking your opponent into thinking you screwed up. Buffer the 720 during the 6A whiff. The timing for the 720 is a little strict since 6A has ambiguous (and slow) recovery. Hitting the “C” too early will cause the 720 to not come out. Again, this tech-trap also suffers the same problem as other NT 360/720 setups. More aggressive opponents however will attempt to punish you for the 6A whiff and end up eating a throw counter 720, hence the strength of this trap. 6. (FT, BT) 6A>2C xx Collider, 6C>j.D Collider Notes: Old-school tech-trap. 6C, j.D is one of CT Tager’s stronger combo enders since it allows for tech-traps. If the opponent was already magnetized before the j.D, in addition to being able to do the full combo, the j.D will pull them in close enough for a NT to be caught with 360/720. Catching the opponent’s BT might be trickier since they can do a number of things to alter the momentum of the Collider’s magnetic pull. In most cases, even if the Collider doesn’t catch them, they will still be pulled close enough for you to continue pressure. Just make sure they don’t fly over your head. 2A is your friend here. 7. (FR, NT, BR) Magnetized 360A Gadget (whiff) 360/720 Notes: Character specific since Gadget Finger will immediately catch some magnetized characters. 360 must be held to catch FT and BT. 720 must buffered very quickly during the Gadget whiff. 8. (FR. NT, BR) Spark Volt, 5C/2C xx Collider, Collider whiff, MTW Gadget whiff 720 Notes: Setup stolen from Akira. As with all Gadget whiff, 720 setups, 720 must be buffered very quickly. A very expensive and situational setup. Its main strength is for finishing your opponent off if a Terra Break followup won’t cut it. 9. (NT, BT, FT) CH 5D/4D>5C>6A xx Collider (delayed) Notes: This setup is also possible off Spark Volt, but is far more taxing if you screw it up. Depending on where you are standing on the screen, the momentum of the wallbounce may mean you have to hold Collider for a bit on NT to prevent the guy from landing. 10. (NT,FT,BT) 6A, 2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 6B>2C xx B-Sledge Collider/720 Notes: Mike Z special. Apparently this is more useful than I previously gave it credit for. Sorry Mikey. :P Anyways, this tech trap will catch both FT and BTas well as NT. Just don't buffer that 720 until you confirm the tech. Pretty strong trap against people who think NT is the safest air-tech option against Tager. Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLj6SK0OWCk&feature=related#t=10m20s 11.(NT) Any combo ending in techable knockdown, Collider (whiff), 360/720 Notes: This trap only works if the opponent is magnetized and NTs. NT puts your opponent in an airborne state allowing the Collider to pull them towards you with considerable momentum when done on wake-up. The Collider will recover in time for you to 360/720 or 2B/Collider any jump-out attempts, making this tech-trap a good 50/50. Hitting 4D after the Collider (whiff) is also an option that will CH poke attempts. On block, it will still leave your opponent in close range. Trap best done from half to full-screen distance. One of the more useful qualities of it in the long run however, is that it will condition your opponent to either delay-tech, quick rise, or roll-tech. You can use this oppurtunity to get in and possibly setup additional traps. 12. (NT, FR, BR) 6A>2C xx Collider, Collider whiff, 6B>2C xx Collider, sj.C (whiff), j.D (whiff), 360/720 Notes: Stolen from Galileo. Another reason why your opponent should not roll-tech while magnetized against Tager. NT leaves them close enough for continued pressure/mixups. FT escapes 360 if I remember correctly but not 720. Video Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4JIenq-D_k&feature=related#t=2m30s 13. (NT) ...AC, 2D, 5D (whiff), (Insert Gadget finger-esque mixup) Notes: Contributed by Manta. "Only works if they neutral tech, if they don't then the 5D will whiff and you're not really any worse off." 14. 5D/4D (ch) or Spark Bolt 5C > 6A > 2C xx Held Collider Notes: Contributed by Manta. "Loses only to a well timed tech and quick air move, all other times you either get the collider reset or just bluebeat them for decent damage."

Table Contents 1. Introduction To Tech-Traps And Resets 2. General Notes 3. How To Read This Guide 4. Corner Tech-Traps 5. Mid-screen Tech-Traps 6. Gadget RC Resets Introduction To Tech-Traps And Resets First things first, what is a tech-trap exactly? In a nutshell, a tech-trap is basically a setup in which you are able to punish your opponent for teching in a specific way. Good tech-traps will offer specific and reliable punishes for most or even all teching options your opponent has. The best tech-traps, however, not only offer effective answers to your opponent's teching options, but are ones where the opponent's teching options that seem the safest are actually the ones that will get them punished severely. Now what’s a reset? A reset is basically when the player, instead of continuing or ending a combo in typical fashion, chooses to discontinue it (thus returning the combo counter back to zero, hence the term “reset” ) and goes for a mixup instead. If the mixup is successful, then the player can go into a fresh, unprorated combo. This is how Carl gets most of his big damage and how Tager maximizes his, in addition to the use of tech-traps. Other examples of characters with resets include Jin with his Drives and 236D corner loop and Ragna and his double BE, 5D, 22C corner combo. Tager’s choice of reset setup is Gadget Finger RC, which I will refer to as Gadget RC from now on. How important are tech-traps and resets to Tager’s game? Using tech-traps and resets aren’t absolutely 100% necessary for Tager play, but I suggest learning them if you want to maximize Tager’s damage output. Tager’s tricky tech-trap and reset game is by far his greatest strength and the source for many an opponent’s frustration. How reliable are these tech-traps and resets? It is worth noting though that these setups can be considered gimmicks so do not expect to land some of them more once. The key to using tech-traps effectively is not to throw out a whole bunch of obscure and complicated setups, but rather to go with a select few tech-traps you are comfortable and familiar with and exploit your opponent’s understanding and reaction to them. For example, grounded neutral techs are typically punished with 360, but your opponent can escape them by jumping immediately after the tech. You can use this to your advantage by baiting the jump, then catching them with Collider. Lean to effectively utilize these various setups as well as the mindgames they open up and hopefully you’ll become a better and smarter Tager player. General Notes Unless noted otherwise, Collider will catch aerial forward and backwards techs, 360 will catch neutral techs and forward rolls, and 720 will catch neutral techs, and backwards and forward rolls. Your opponent can escape any and all 360/720 neutral tech setups by simply jumping. The keyword here is can – people who don’t know they can instantly jump after neutral-tech or are mashing tech mindlessly will eat the tech-trap. On the other hand, you can use this to your advantage by catching their jump-out attempts with Collider. Observe your opponents’ habits and adjust accordingly. If your opponent chooses not to tech, you should use this opportunity to set up additional tech-traps or magnetize them with a simple combo like OTG 5B, 4D. Going for blackbeat combos is not advised due to Tager’s poor 40% combo rate. It is far more rewarding to go with the former two options and attempt to set up an advantageous wake-up situation. During a magnetized combo, you can stop the combo after a hit with 2B, 6B, 2C, 6A, or 6C and attempt to go for a tech-trap. This isn’t usually advised however, since with most magnetized combos, Tager can simply replace a typical ender (ex. B-Sledge, Gadget Finger) with a tech-trap setup instead. That isn’t to say mid-combo tech-traps are completely useless, just that they are situational (like say, if you want to kill your opponent without risking a burst, so you go for a Collider tech-trap into Collider whiff, MTW instead). Corner-tech traps will work with or without magnetism unless noted otherwise. In the event that neutral tech leaves your opponent too far away for you to catch with 360, you can usually tag them with 5D for extra magnetism. How To Read This Guide The combos here use the format as the ones in the “Iron Tager Complete Guide (CS)” thread. Tech-traps and resets will be written in this format 1. (NT, BR, FR) 6A>2C xx Collider, Collider (whiff), 5D (whiff) 360/720 Notes: <insert notes here> The opening moves of the combos unless noted otherwise are simply placeholders. Most of these tech-traps will work for magnetized combos that allow you an ender. The letters in parentheses stand for the types of techs that the setup will catch. NT stands for neutral tech, BR stands for backwards roll, FT stands for aerial forward tech, and so on. Resets don’t have this. For tech-traps, the move in blue is the move your opponent is expected to tech after. For resets, the move in blue is the move used to reset the combo. The move in red is the move you’ll make them eat after the tech or reset. Notes are self-explanatory. Contain useful bits of specific info such as who this setup was stolen from, the strengths of the setup, how to pull it off properly, what situations it is most effective in, etc. A quick note: Since this guide is still in it's infant stage and I'm not the most knowledgable Tager player, I'm open to any and all feedback and suggestions. The more contributions the better.

The Tager forum's finally getting somewhere eh? Now all it needs is the guide on tech traps I've written up. :D