WUT

No beef man. Dissenting opinions and constructive criticism are how you have the best discussions and arrive at the best conclusions. They're always welcome. That being said, I wasn't intending to discredit the Japanese as far as their experience and skill are concerned. It's obvious they have much more match-up exposure and will be more primed to perform better in that setting. Even our best are only as strong as a mediocre Japanese player, and that's how it'll remain until we get a constant and varied playing atmosphere. The cause of my little diatribe was primarily from watching the SBO videos. I understand the premise of the SBO vids (they're supposed to be flashy and a show, a performance if you will), but they honestly just didn't impress. I had maybe[/] two moments when I saw something interesting, but other than that it was just solid play. Solid, but not overwhelming in the least. I guess I just compare it to myself and what I tend to see in the American scene. As an example, and, not trying to toot my own horn or anything, I perform solidly in casuals and general play. As most strong players do. I get tournament jitters however and overthink situations that should be more straightforward than I make them out to be. Since that's the case, my tournament videos are all a poor representation of my actual level of play. Since I'm playing this game competatively, you can make the claim that it IS an accurate representation of my level of play (I want to win, after all), but that's not the point. I know I'm capable of more than what gets uploaded or how well I do in tournaments; I've done it before. I just can't bridge that gap in consistency yet. I'm not saying I could hang with the top or even higher-level Japanese players. Not at all. I'd get rocked. But do I think I could beat them eventually, given exposure to their level of play? Of course. Comparing tactics tends to be irrelevent if you can't grasp the underlying situations, such as previous match-up experiences and conditioning. And you don't get to understand these factors from videos, unless they happen to post a set of matches from the same players. 0 may have done Option A in Scenario A, but only because the opponent fell for Options B and C previously, or the opponent has alot of experience with Scenario A and Options B and C have been used more. With playing HOS, you normally have a few answers, or one solid answer, to any situation. Just because different players use different options doesn't mean one is inferior to the other; it tends to be a matter of preference. Playstyle and general tactics are to be left to the individual and specific match-ups. You rush Chipp, you charge and then approach Testament, things of that nature. Some people prefer Level 1, others may always want to have some Charge to work with. Every situation can call for a different tactic; that's the beauty of having options.

Faust doesn't just zone you. He can start taking the fight closer to you while keeping the threat of his pokes and items viable, which lets his pressure (albeit mediocre) come into play. He can gain momentum or footing from any item that isn't coin, doughnut and candy. If he gets bomb, mini-pot, or meteors you're in for some aggression, which can be difficult to navigate as you're concerned by both the item's impact and Faust's own pokes. Any of his other items control space, making "beating his zoning" difficult. While you have things you can do at long range (mainly Manual Charge), and "simply waiting" is an option, it doesn't do much for you as far as winning the match goes to sit there and let Faust zone freely until he gets unlucky and gets a crappy item. You still need to have an impact and make him feel threatened by trying to get inside.

Item + FDC j.HS/any of his anti-airs do a great job at preventing both aerial and ground progress at the same time. If this wasn't the case then closing the gap on Faust would be as easy as "Oh I jumped Scalpel/5S(f)/2HS/2D and now I can j.HS and win". And it's just not that simple.

She can't crank your guard bar while you're FD'ing, as FD doesn't build guard bar. 5H is dirty (stupid active hitbox while she draws the key back and up), but more managable via ground game than 5S(f). Also, I like to burst when ABA goes for 2D xx OTG Key grab in Normal mode. Ruining that free mode change and leaving her stuck in Normal mode just feels too good. Keep in mind that she can delay the key grab (or opt to simply not do it) and pretty much waste your burst. Using it sparingly gives you the best results.

I dislike trying to throw bait Faust as it is; his 5HS is a great "option select" should you be slow on your bait as it comes out in 9F. Some other notes: - If you guard a 5P, 2P, or 2K, you have a 4F+ window to backdash/escape, as his fastest normal is 5P (6F) and it leaves him at +2. In particular, this applies to 2K -> pseudo-link 2P, or 2P wait 2P pressure. - Scalpel Pull (full-screen command throw) can be 2D'd under, as well as GB'd. The further away the easier it is. - If Faust likes to start the match with 5K, use 6P. Faust's 2P and 2D both beat it, but both of those options lose to 2S, which, amusingly enough, loses to Faust 5K. Funny little rock/paper/scissors moment, but establishing momentum is important in this match. - Charge Burst is actually an option, as it stuffs 5S(f) and scalpel pull if you're being zoned. I tend to Manual Charge in short spurts, electing to Charge Burst on occasion to get a KD and momentum. Risky, but the option is nice.

I never jumped on the "compare the best players with your char" train. It just doesn't make sense to me. Who's the best HOS? What's your definition of "best"? Maximizes character potential or flat out ability to produce wins? Does it even matter? This isn't Slash where our only HOS hero was Kaqn, I'll give you that. We've got a few options as to who our favorite HOS is. But they're still simple preferences. ReaVer has his KZO, I prefer watching 0, Kamui Moon may enjoy Inoue matches. It's all moot. You watch vids to pick up tricks and tactics; not to emulate your favorite player. If they tend to fit your playstyle then more power to you. Maybe you're doing it right. Maybe you aren't and need to switch up your game to win more. I consider the match vids the Japanese post as glitz and glamour. They post those vids because something awesome happened and it's worth watching. Someone/both played very well, someone ran a train, or a tactic was successfully employed, etc. That's all fine and dandy, but it gives you a very askewed view of the playing prowess of most of the players displayed in the vids. Some players are portrayed as simply unbeatable and god-like, when that simply isn't the case. There are a myriad of other times when players perform poorly, bad day, tournament stress, all that jazz. Chances are you don't see those vids as often, as they aren't really worth looking at. For the longest time, I wondered why the only Anji vids posted were Anji vs. Pot. Then I realized why: that's one of the only times where Anji will almost always perform exceptionally. They post those vids because Anji looks good. I'm rambling now. My only point is that you need to concern yourself with getting consistent. If you can continually be awesome and perform when you need to then that's all that matters.

Depends on how close you are when you land the CH 2D as well, although range is less of an impact if you decide to spend Charge on a Lvl2/3 GB in that situation instead. That being said, hit confirming CH 2D xx GB is a pain, as any delay you put in cancelling to GB means you have a harder time making GB not otg instead. I tend to always either CC or special cancel 2D, so if I get a CH it's just an easy 5S© pickup. More consistent.

IAD loop does not work on Dizzy.

Sanma Vs. FAB from SBO '08: What. The. Crap?

How does this pertain to stopping tick throws and frame traps with SV vs. using other pokes? Yes, SV a defensive option. It's also one of your more risky options, with little payout. How is this relevant? We're talking about when SV can be used; Lvl3TR is another story. Or she can throw a fast poke. She has plenty. As do various other members of the cast After summon, meaning Eddie just has to release S for Nobiru. Nobiru CH's you the moment you're active, which is when you lose your invincibility (or, in Lvl2/Lvl3 SV's case, you lose your invincibility before Nobiru ends). The japanese don't matter. Stop acting like they do. They're a decent reference tool, but by no means should you base your game on what KZO, Sanma, 0, Yuuki, Kaqn, or the myriad of other japanese players do. Your particular situation is never the same as theirs. Just because KZO's SV worked in a certain situation does not mean yours will; there are plenty of other circumstances going on during any one instance in a match, which culminate from how the rounds are playing out. SV is nice, but it's not an effective scare tool, you don't get much damage off it without committing both resources and the DP-bait scenario into one attempt, and you have other options. That's all there is to it.

a CH Lvl2 SV in the corner accomplishes the same thing when you're looking for a combo, but that's not the point. I didn't mean that SV in response to tick throws or as a counterpoke should be considered offensive; I just lumped them in with the other reasons as one big "don't SV" list. Sorry for the confusion. SV against Eddie = ridiculous. As stated, the only time to SV is in between hits of Mawaru little eddie's -K-), or against puddle unblockable. In Mawaru's case, If he baits it, you either eat Nobiru (little eddie -S), or a potential CH 6P combo, either of which puts you one step closer to being dizzy and giving him a free win. And you don't always need to SV in between Mawaru's hits; you need to alternate with backdashing and poking (if Eddie hesitates, 5P/2P/5K kills little eddie for free and lets you gatling into other pokes or special cancel) so Eddie can't bait you. Eddie *can* punish every attempt to escape, whether it be backdash or poke, but he has to commit himself to not mixing you up. It's pretty nice. When it comes to puddle unblockable, you should always try to reversal DP. In the end, you end up taking less damage, even if he successfully baits and punishes your SV. Pot buster is vulnerable on the first two frames; faster than any of your pokes, but still "punishable" if he fucks up the timing while going for a tick throw. Aside from BDC bite, every other tick command throw you can poke out of. Defensive SV is still riskier than poking normally or trying to escape. You always run the risk of being baited for a punish if you SV any sort of frame traps, as they can simply guard instead of attack. Of course, opting to do this carries its own set of circumstances, but we're treading into hardcore theory fighting there. Now, if you create a situation where SV is an option then it's a viable alternative. IB -> SV and SB -> SV work fine if you need the invincibility for those first 3 frames to get through an attack. EDIT: reaVer: 1: Low profile and fast pokes run rampant when it comes to frame traps and pressure. Jam comes to mind as someone you should never SV against defensively; there's always a better option. 2: SV still has CH frames at the end, AC or not. 3: Math time! After summoning, Nobiru comes out in 9 frames and is invincible from frames 15-21. This means he has to throw Nobiru first (not a big deal, as it starts his offense) and you have 3 frames to kill it before the invincibility kicks in. You can't reaction that. 4: Let's be reasonable. You, as a competative player, simply cannot always force someone to stop and bait SV every time they go on the offensive. It's just not practical. You'll lose way too many matches and get punished too often just from trying to instill that fear of SV into them. The risk/reward never tips in your favor until you play a looooooooong set with them, and that's not how the competative scene is designed. You only get 6 rounds at max during a round; if you spend 5 of them playing the "oh am I going to SV" mindgame then you severly limit your options for that last, crucial round.

Needs more Leysritt and Zero Lancer being tourny legal. Alter Saber has ridiculous damage potential (well, the whole cast does if you give them a grail and full meter). Also, projectiles are retarded. Gilgamesh, you so silly. Poor Berserker.

For starters: IAD loop works on everyone Venom height or taller, excluding Dizzy. This means pretty much no female characters and Ky, Robo-Ky, Zappa, Faust, and Chipp. Everyone else is gravy. I wouldn't recommend IAD combo if your execution isn't up to par, as hitting an actual 2+ rep loop on the likes of Sol and Venom is a little difficult. However, on characters like Johnny, Testy, Slayer and Pot, IAD loop is a little easier and recommended if you're determined to throw it into your combo gameplan. As long as you keep the Beat counter low before the first IAD and you're not TOO far away, you can do at least 2 reps on the tall characters, even if you push them into the corner during the first rep. Two reps of IAD combo into a 2D KD leads to ~120 off a 2K, whereas you're getting less than 60 damage with a 2K, 5S©, 2S, 2D. You can manage 3 reps on Testy and Pot, even if the first rep pushes them into the corner, but it's pretty difficult. secondly: Guys, do not bank on SV. It will screw you more than it will save you. Do not spam reversal SV, do not try to stop frame traps with SV, and don't act like SV is VV junior; it's not. Every instance that you could SV, you have a better option. Reversal SV gets baited too easily (AC FRC "mix-up" is a gimmick and should never be relied upon), 2P and 5K work just as well to stop frame traps and tick throws if you *have* to attack (even then, 1F jump is a safer alternative), and SV can't compare to VV in terms of control. Aside from Lvl3 or a corner Lvl2 (both with the added risk of losing resources on top of the risk associated with doing an offensive DP), you cannot threaten effectively with SV in the same manner that Sol threatens with VV. You don't get a KD reset and you don't have Wild Throw. tl;dr: IAD loop is sweet and doubles your tensionless KD damage, SV is too risky to rely on aside from the occasional invincible insurance policy punish.

If he stands there, don't approach him. It's a trap.

Both of Axl's DPs have throw invincibility, and one of them comes out in 5 frames with low invincibility. Granted, if you bait them (and he doesn't FRC the S version) you get an awesome punish, but tick throws aren't the preferred offensive approach, especially considering most Axls will try to FD you out then escape via jumping.

Yeah, I have no clue where to post this and I don't really want to make a topic just for this little question, so I figure I'll ask it here. Is there any specific knockdown or setup that always lets you get the correct height for a dash, then backwards air dash j.HS fake cross-up or is it based on other factors (character-specific, input-related trick)? Something along the lines of a ground gatling combo that ends with either a 2HS or 2D into HCL knockdown would be awesome.

Just don't be in the corner. Every point that a Lvl2 GB could combo after Lvl3 BRP a Lvl1 can do the same. You just have to be quick when you buffer the D so as to not AC after Lvl3 BRP.

Manly is Lvl3 BRP, buffer D for Lvl1 GB AC, dashing j.HS, j.D jc dj.HS, dj.D xx Lvl2 BRP. The dj.HS, dj.D is distance specific, but that juicy extra damage can't be ignored. Tensionless, super manly, buffering involved. Can't go wrong with it.

Mechanically, aside from TK'ing Lvl3 RI for a potential Lvl2 special finisher DL, is to stop your horizontal momentum. The only other time I've purposefully tried to TK a special is for BRP. TK'ing Lvl1 BRP without actually leaving the ground (no air BRP) lets you jump install it without having to gatling into a JC-able normal beforehand. Nice for the FRC and potential mix-up after it (fuzzy guard, IAD/landing low), but the myriad of JCable normals HOS has renders it rather pointless. Another nifty feature that's pretty much useless due to difficulty is that a TK'd aerial Lvl1 BRP actually leaves you in frame advantage. It comes out one frame slower (19 startup + 4 frames before you can input the move), but it has less landing recovery (8F for aerial vs 6+6 for grounded), and it's one attack level higher. Again, really hard to perform (you'll probably end up doing a SJ TK aerial BRP and making the startup and recovery even longer, or just doing a normal TK BRP before you actually get an aerial TK BRP), but it's kinda' awesome theory-wise. Free conditioned CH 6K anyone?

See what you made me do? To elaborate: her anti-airs lose to your ground game, or get punished should you avoid them, with a while landing. Her zoning/spacing pokes lose to your ground game. Jumping FD and FD braking both work to close the gap safely and possibly score a way in should ABA do something wrong while trying to keep you out, along with other smart movement tactics (varied double jumps, IAD'ing back, super jumps, stutter steps, etc.). It's the same thing against everyone who can zone you: you have to be patient. If they react/guess correctly and push you back out, you try again. Sure, it's frustrating, but that's what HOS has to deal with. You can't expect some sort of trump card that always beats every option they have for a free win in every situation; HOS doesn't have one.

On Sol, your goal is to combo his feet, as he lacks a decent aerial hitbox toward his knees. As such, if you want to pick up a Dust Loop off, say, a 2D xx Lvl2 BHB AC FRC dashing j.HS, you need to add a few hits before you do the 2D, or delay the cancel to BHB later so he has more time to distance himself from you as he falls. It's the same principle for landing a Lvl1 GB midscreen-ish into DL on Sol; you let him fall as low as you can, and then do a dashing j.HS. If you instead do a deep dashing j.HS then your first dj.D won't hit.

Corner throw -> dashing j.HS, j.D jc dj.HS, dj.D land then j.HS, j.D jc dj.HS, dj.D xx Lvl2 BRP; 150 damage on Sol. 1: You have to do a dashing j.HS at the start, or the last j.D won't connect. 2: You have to delay the second j.HS so that the j.D after will hit. That lets you get the other reps. You don't really need to worry about any other particular delays, just the second j.HS (the first dj.HS).

That and if you SB it and he FRCs GF you have no advantage.

Throwing the 5HS to punish VV comes with mixed results. The reward for you punishing the 214K follow-up (an aerial CH 5HS) is amazing, but if he doesn't follow-up then the best you can get off the non-CH hit confirm is a SJI combo, which is a tad bit difficult in that situation. Personally, I tend to wait until he lands and punish with a grounded combo. Y'know, the ones that don't prorate from the first hit. And, for the record, VV and GV are incredibly unsafe. If you bait either of them, and you're working with either Lvl2+ or 25% Tension, you get ~200 damage on the punish. GV should never be an issue once you get a solid punish on one; VV is another story due to its overall effective use and properties (aka Sols will spam it since it's invincible). Some general tips (I hate this match-up; it's not even that hard once you get into the mindgame and punish him a few times, but it's still annoying to ALWAYS bait VV and never get the fun setups): - If he does Gun Flame, you need to jump over it. You can throw out an early-ish j.HS and CH for free. You just sail right over it and hit him. If Sol doesn't FRC, this is free damage for you. - If he does Riot Stomp outside of the corner (lol), you get a mediocre punish with a forward jumping j.P into combo. 6P is too risky with little reward, GB resets the situation and puts you at neutral ground, SV works but the reward is low (unless Lvl3), and a properly timed 2D will actually keep you right next to him with frame advantage. - Corner Riot Stomp gets the 6P treatment; CH 6P that close is a free 5HS combo. - Sol's 5S(f), 5HS (to an extent), and 2D all trump your ground game, and Sol's anti-airs are always solid. As was stated, you'll spend most of this fight from a defensive standpoint. Thankfully, Sol's actual mix-up is tame, as he has to rely on the threat of VV to keep you sitting still for a tick throw. Since that's the case, you can throw him off by FD'ing his pressure, 1F FD jumping, and SV. The safest options are always preferred. Just make sure you punish him for throwing stupid shit out, and don't eat Wild Throw. It's annoying, but easy.

You have to be OUT of 2HS range for lvl1 RI to beat it. If you're still in 5S(f)/Fafnir range, Lvl1 RI loses to 2HS. Bad oki? 2K is great for oki, especially given Slayer's midscreen dash-through shenanigans. 5HS, 2S, 2D and the like are all meaty attacks forcing you to successfully reversal or guard, with the 2 former normals leading to Dandy Step pressure or even gatling to high/low, in 2S' case. Meaty 2D leaves Slayer with frame advantage and stays out forever, allowing for leeway and more mix-up. Slayer's "good oki" is much more than just reversal-safe highs; keep that in mind. whytesakura: Dash-through is always present during Slayer's oki. Slayer can forward dash and punish both SV and Fafnir. Of course, this tactic loses to reversal GB, which is where Slayer's meaty attacks come into play. For the record: I don't advocate always trying to reversal out of oki; your best option is always to attempt to guard and create space. I'm merely describing other options you have at your disposal.