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Moroha

AC A.B.A. 101: RTSD with a 500lb. Key guide

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NOTE: This is intended to be a constant work in progress. If you find errors in here, or have anything you'd like to add or ask, go ahead and sent me a PM, or post in the ABA Discussion thread. I wrote this at like 5 in the morning, so forgive what errors there may be. Also, I'll probably re-format this to look a little nicer in the near future. Enjoy! :)

So you're looking to pick up a Guilty Gear character. You tried Millia, liked that ground dash, but didn't like her fragility. Potemkin's damage was tight, but the guy's just too immobile. Jam was cool, but her range wasn't good enough. You want it all. You want to steamroll Dizzy in two hits, and look good while doing it. In that case...welcome to A.B.A. :) This thread is designed to give you a solid understanding of how to play ABA as quick as possible. She's a high risk, high reward character that puts you in the "I have no life, he's got 2/3rds health left" situation more frequently than you'd think - but you've got the tools you need to take that win at your disposal. Poon described it best in the old Slash thread;

"If you play ABA, you need to revel in winning fights off a single hit, off of putting someone in the corner and cranking their guard bar to full and then landing a basic bread-and-butter combo that does 400+ damage without needing any setups or difficult variants. If this is for you, welcome to the ride."

Table of contents:

I. Intro to ABA

II. Normal Mode

III. Moroha Mode

IV. ABA Strategy

V. Intermediate / Advanced Combos

I. Intro to ABA

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

*Tremendous damage in Moroha Mode.

*Very fast in Moroha mode.

*Fantastic range in Moroha mode.

*Frightening pressure game.

*A plethora of viable ways to spend your tension.

*Almost as much HP as Potemkin.

*Small hitbox and real funny weight can make her tough to combo.

*Has a giant bloody key axe.

Cons:

*Meh damage and very slow in Normal Mode.

*Inflicts damage to herself in Moroha Mode.

*Mode Management via Keygrab and limited supply of Bloodpacks.

*->If ABA is knocked down three times in Moroha Mode, she can be Instant Killed.

ABA is, design-wise, far more complex than the average Ryu/Ken/Shoto-Clone.

ABA has two main modes of play; Normal (aka "Passive") mode and Moroha (aka "Double Edged") mode. (She also has a Goku Moroha (aka "Double Edged Hell") mode which is much less used). Every match, ABA begins in Normal mode. The key has big googley eyes and a flat, round head. Her moves deal poor damage and are generally subpar to average. She is pretty immobile in normal mode.

The goal is to get her into her other main mode - Moroha mode - when you can. ABA will start off every match with three bloodpacks (in the bottom corner of your player side). You can consume a bloodpack (63214P) to transform in or out of Moroha mode. She also has access to a command grab (63214H) which can be comboed into that will also trigger a transform.

In Moroha mode, ABA is a nightmare. Many of her attacks have great range, stay in play for awhile, and tend to have very high priority. All of her hits can lead to taking anywhere from 1/3rd of your opponent's health to ALL OF IT - depending on the situation. There are two drawbacks to Moroha mode. Every time you connect with an attack - hit or block - ABA will inflict herself with a small amount of damage. Should you successfully transform out of Moroha - via Bloodpack or Command Throw - you will regain a lot of the HP that you lost.

Most importantly, when you enter Moroha mode, a gauge will appear below your lifebar that will slowly diminish over time. If ABA gets knocked down, she will lose 1/3rd of this bar. Should you fail to transform before your bar expires, her key will forcefully cough up the blood, and your ABA will eat whatever combo (or even Instant Kill) your opponent wants. In addition, all the health you could have regained from a Bloodpack or Command Throw transform is lost forever.

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II. Normal Mode

When in Normal mode, ABA isn't completely helpless. You'll need to know how to get enough breathing room to bloodpack, combo into a command throw, or in extreme cases, finish off your opponent as Normal ABA.

Normals:

5P. 3 Frames, can take care of frame traps, mashable, anti air.

2P. 5 Frames, can beat out some command throw attempts. Mashable.

5K. Decent priority for Normal mode, chain into Rekkas or 2D for an OTG Keygrab.

2K. Chain into 2D for an OTG Keygrab.

f.S. Hits low, which can catch some off guard.

5H. One your most important Normal normals; if you connect with this move on hit or block, Bloodpack. Period.

2H. Another important normal, just because it stays out there so fucking long. On hit, j.P j.S Keygrab (63214H). Also, I believe if the first hit counterhits but you get hit, it'll knock the other guy down, giving you a free OTG keygrab.

j.S. Good hitbox, good priority for Normal mode.

j.H. The dive. Not great priority, but on block puts you up close to continue pressure. Just don't get thrown. ;p

Specials:

236H (Bloodball). Fantastic move. ABA cuts her wrist on the key and a ball of mercury blood flies free. (It's okay, she's not human! ;p) It takes a little bit of time to come out, but once it's out, IT'S OUT. And ABA recovers real fucking quick, too. If you think you've got room to Bloodpack but aren't sure, throw a bloodball and go for it - it can be a real pain in the ass for your opponent to get around. Also, after a keygrab OUT of Moroha in the corner, when you land, throw a bloodball as they get up and mix them up. Don't be afraid to go / Ky sometimes in the corner, just don't abuse it.

236P (Slide/Evasion). ABA ducks low and slides forward. Upper body invincible. You'll like it at first, then the more you play, the more damage you'll find you take when you use it. It's still a good tool to have, and should be used on certain occasions. Note: Slide will also duck under bursts. :)

236K (Erasure). ABA hops on and off her key with a slicing kick. Overhead. Staggers the opponent on CH. Can also be FRC'd into Keygrab combos. Feet and throw invincible from frames 6-27.

Rekkas (236S,46S,63214S). Not nearly as good as their big brother in Moroha mode, but can be FRC'd into a Keygrab from close range. Combo into this from a 5K or 5S. Also of note, the last hit can be substituted for a 41236K for an overhead; might catch some off guard.

Bloodpack (63214P) and Keygrab (63214H) Transformers.

236D (FORCE BREAK: Slide/Evasion) Full body invuln..goes right through everything, including supers. Slides FAR. Catch people off guard with FB Slide for a throw, combo, or escape -> bloodpack.

Staple Combos:

1. 2K, 2D, OTG Keygrab. Gets you into Moroha easy.

2. 2H, j.P, j.S, Keygrab. Also gets you into Moroha easy.

3. f.S, c.S, 236S, 46S, 63214S, FRC, forward dash, 5H, Keygrab. Gets you into Moroha.

4. Throw in corner, Keygrab. Same deal.

5. 5D, j.S, j.S, Keygrab. I don't like doing big Dust combos in Normal mode, unless they're close to dead. I won't be getting significant damage to ABA, but I WILL be giving them significant burst meter. Save the big combos for Moroha mode.

Note: Some characters don't even need to be in the corner for you to keygrab them; if you're quick, you can dash after the throw and get in a keygrab.

Normal mode midscreen throw, dash in keystab works on:

May

Johnny

Eddie

Millia

Testament

Dizzy*

Baiken

Anji*

Venom

Slayer

Bridget

Faust (Dash not needed)

Zappa*

I-no*

*very tight, have to input command very fast

Thanks Axel!

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III. Moroha Mode

At last, the reason to play ABA. Let's begin.

Normals:

5P. Same as Normal 5P, but you'll probably find yourself using it more here. Just like the normal version, she has upper body invincibility from frames 2-4. This is pertinent info.

2P. Same as Normal 2P. Gives you +2 Frames on block, can set up tick throw.

6P. Two hits, solid anti air that leads into your combos.

2K. Your main combo low. Dash in 2K for oki. You will hit with this move, and you will get prorated but solid damage.

2S. Tougher to time anti-air, but great ground-to-air priority. On counterhit, they're in for a world of hurt.

f.S. Ah, the dreaded ABA Far Slash. Her best normal, move, what have you. Simply put, from its max range, f.S beats just about EVERY normal in the game, and some specials too. And when it DOES beat out a move, you get BIG combo. It'll make your opponent shit bricks. As such, make sure to input an empty 236 when you throw this (And 5H, for that matter) out and hit confirm that shit. When it hits, follow it up with the rekkas and profit. Just finished up a frametrap? f.S. In a poke war a few character lengths apart? f.S. What a good move.

2H. The cornerstone of ABA's pressure. Hits twice, launches on hit, cranks up their guard gauge and gives you frame advantage on block, chains into rekkas, has an FRC point, AND is throw invuln, so a good choice for oki. Got all that? Good! Get creative with your 2H game. YOU'VE got the advantage here.

5H. Sacrifices a little of the mad f.S priority for range. 5H hangs out there for awhile, and reaches mad far. On hit, you chain into rekkas for a combo. On counterhit, it'll cause a huge stagger which practically guarantees a run up combo as well. It's also funny because ABA yanks the key up at the end of 5H, and the yank up top can also hit people. And if it counterhits, you basically get the 2S counterhit property! Good shit. Don't be surprised when someone jumps your throw attempt in the corner only to get hit with that.

6H. Two hits, both of which can be jump cancelled. You can chain this into rekkas on hit, or IAD/jump in to continue pressure on block. Huge range, but on whiff, huge recovery. Don't whiff this, and you're in good shape.

5D. Use this. You will hit your opponent's weak spot for massive damage. Enough said.

2D. Big range, low, and knocks down, so nothing to really hate on. This is a low you can use late in your strings to knock down and l o l restart your pressure from square one.

j.P. Mash between this and j.K when you catch someone blocking it in the air, bring them down to the ground, and continue pressure if possible.

j.K. Launches briefly on hit.

j.S.Very powerful, important move. Jump at Sol as he gets up. If you meaty a j.S (The key is over his body), and he SRKs, the two moves will clash. If you block, ABA will land safely as Sol flies through the air in a dumb ball of fire. Punish him to oblivion. If he doesn't SRK, well then, you carry on with whatever pressure string you want. It's a win/win! Meaty j.S is also fantastic because you can Jump Cancel it. Mix up between meaty j.S -> land, 2K, or meaty j.S -> JC -> j.S, j.H, land, etc.

j.H.The other very powerful air move. Absurd priority, absurd hitbox size, and crossups like a motherfucker. You know how a lot of 6Ps are supposed to be anti-air? Often times, j.H just doesn't give a shit about your 6P. If and when you hit with this, chain into a ground combo and murder them. Sometimes j.H will counterhit, which causes a ground slide, so make a mental note of that possibility and do the proper combo.

Specials:

Danzai (623H): Okay, this launching super armor (!) move does a lot of things, some of which is more obvious than others. Danzai is a two hit move that will eat one non-super hit when she swings the key up. If your opponent gets caught in either Danzai slice, they get launched for a combo. It's "safer" than a VV, but is still very punishable, so watch out and DO NOT SPAM THIS. You WILL get killed. That being said, you will absolutely stomp the clueless with this move, and will get a lot of "I hate that fucking move"s in response. Danzai can be used as anti-air. It can be the last word in a long/mid range poking battle. It will beat the obvious offensive patterns. On top of that, Danzai is completely throw invulnerable. Thanks for playing, Potemkin Buster. Better luck next time.

Kashitsu (41236K - Unblockable): ABA climbs up the key and backflips through some stained glass symbol that appears. If the other player is on that symbol, standing OR ducking, they will either get staggered (stand block) or bounced. People can shake the stagger before you combo them, which is why if you've got 50% tension to Roman Cancel this, YOU DO IT. That way, you get your big combo on hit or stagger. Have fun! ^Note: If they bounce and you don't have the tension to RC it, you can either reset your pressure game or do an OTG 6H. JC the second hit; for instance, if they tech one way, you can IAD towards them to continue pressure from the air. Short ranged, and mediocre execution time, but you CAN hit with this move.

Engorgement / Butt (421H) ABA flies through the air buttfirst pointing the key's head towards her target. It jump installs, so if you RC it, you've got a free jump in there. Though generally used in her butt loop combos, it can be used empty and catch people for combos in the corner.

Konzetsu / Orbs (41236S in the air) ABA grabs two keys out of thin air and two huge orbs form around them. Both can hit. As such, it's your goal to get both of them to hit in corner combos. This is a real funny move that gives you advantage. It can also be FRCd. If you're really low to the ground, the recovery is low enough that you can combo into the orbs, land, and continue your combo. Also, this move has the habit of lingering around even if ABA gets hit.. hooray projectiles.

Rekkas (236S, 46S, 63214S). The first hit takes you forward. The second hit will stagger. The third hit will ground slide and you will FRC it into a combo. The Rekkas have huge range and are quick, and will give you combos when you hit. However, you are not safe if you follow through with an uncancelled third part of the string. Be wary of SRKs/backdashes/etc. and plan around them accordingly. Remember, you control how many hits of the rekkas you want to do, and you can FRC the final hit and reset pressure if you wish. Now crank up that guard gauge.

Bloodpack (63214P) and Keygrab (63214H) Transformers. You're constantly going to be looking for ways to combo into your keygrab, so most of the time, if the opportunity presents itself, do it, land, bloodpack, and refresh your Moroha bar. If you Bloodpack, you will regain 1.2x of the damage you've dealt yourself; if you Keygrab, you'll only regain 80%, but you'll be saving yourself a bloodpack for your troubles.

623D (FORCE BREAK Danzai) Essentially the same thing as Regular Danzai, except this one eats EVERY non super hit on the way up - not just one. Yes, I know what you're thinking - it DOES beat Sol's VV. (Though if you're too close, he sometimes won't get launched. ;p) This move is ludicrous and has been known to make ABA's opponents sob softly to themselves.

236D (FORCE BREAK Bloodball) Why NOT give ABA a Moroha mode projectile. String into this or try to time it meaty. On block, this forces a mixup, or better yet, sets up your Unblockable. On hit, you get a free combo - or if you're real quick, guarantees your dust! BIG lols.

Staple Combos:

1. 236S, 46S, 63214S FRC, dash in, 2K, 5S, 2S, sj.K, sj.S, Keygrab. Easy combo into transform.

2. 5S, 6H (1hit), 236S, 46S, 63214S FRC, dash in, 2K, 5S, 2S, Butt, P, j.D. Works in the corner.

3. Throw (Midscreen). 2H (1hit), Danzai, dash in, S, 2S, Butt. Knocks down and can eat bursts. Note: If they're in the corner, after the dash in, S, you can keygrab to go into normal mode, then combo into an OTG keygrab for a free, COMPLETE transform. More on these setups later.

4. 2K, 5S, 2H (2hit), IAD S, HS, Orbs, land. P, S, 2S, j.D. Works in the corner. Good string from a low hit.

5. 6P (Anti Air, 2hit), 2S, sj.K, j.S, j.HS, Keygrab. Basic anti-air combo.

6. In corner: Dash jump, low to ground j.S, JC j.S, falling j.H, land, 5S, 236S, 46S, 63214S. Good overhead shenanigans.

7. Throw (In Corner). Dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt. 5S, 2S, Butt. 5P, 5S, 2S, j.D, Orbs.

8. 5S, 2H (1hit), 236S, 46S, 63214S FRC, dash in, 6H, dash jump, j.S, j.H, j.D, Orbs, land. Dash jump, j.S, j.H, j.D, Orbs, land. (Works on most characters). Will you look at that damage?

9. In Corner: 5S, 2H (2hit), dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt, RC, Orbs (2HIT), land. 5S, 2S, sj.K, j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs.

10. 2S Counterhit, or Throw, or Danzai/FB Danzai. (Midscreen) Dash in, 5K, 6P (1 or 2hit), 2S, sj.K, sj.S, sj.HS, Keygrab.

11. Throw (In Corner). j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs. Land. Keygrab, OTG Keygrab.

Note 1: Any combos that lead to rekka groundslide can often times be FRCd early in the combo into dash in -> 2D xx Danzai, dash in S Keygrab xx OTG Keygrab for the Complete Transform. This is extremely useful, as you're sacrificing a little damage for a good chunk of longevity.

Note 2: You'll have to vary some air combos depending on the character's weight and your proximity to them when the combo starts.

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IV. ABA Strategy

Suffice it to say, ABA would be the best character in Guilty Gear provided she didn't have her two vital weaknesses - and if she isn't, she probably should be. As such, learning how to play Moroha mode - the mode you should and (hopefully) will be spending the bulk of your time is easy to learn. You've got incredible normals that convert to generally EASY combos that can be lethal. Normal mode takes getting used to, and might turn off potential ABA players, but every rose has its thorn. This is a summary of ABA's match progression.

A. Normal Mode

Every fight begins with you in Normal Mode - which means you start every fight at a disadvantage. The sooner you transform into Moroha, the sooner you are, as I stated before, the better character - at an advantage. It's up to you to maximize your time spent with the advantage, to make the most of it, and at the same time, to keep ABA safe. Now, this doesn't mean you should start off every fight with an empty Bloodpack. While a viable opening, if your opponent plans for you to do that, you're going to be missing a chunk of life, two knockdowns away from game over, and dealing with their oki which potentially means knockdown #2. Hence, it's important to know all your options when a match begins. This itself is essential to playing ABA.

These are your primary options at the beginning of a match:

Bloodpack (63214P) - You get this, you're good to go.

Keygrab (63214H) - Throw this out if you think they'll throw out a poke that this move will beat out. You get this, you're even better off than a Bloodpack. However, if this gets jumped, you might be in trouble. Note: Tiger Knee Keygrab (632147H) has better recovery than the ground version.)

Slide (236P) - Slides under upper body pokes. Follow it up with a Keygrab or throw. Loses to opponents standing there expecting it and/or low pokes.

2H - Gives your opponent lots of active frames to deal with. If you hit with it (or sometimes even CH trade with it) you get to transform.

5H - If this connects with their body, buffer in a Bloodpack and rush that shit down.

236S - First hit of the rekkas has good reach, but not the greatest priority in the world. On hit, complete your rekkas and Bloodpack.

Backdash - Lets your opponent act first so you can react to them.

Jump/Superjump forward/backward/up: Similar to backdash.

Creep forward: If they expect you to throw out a Keygrab and try jumping towards you, creeping forward and jumping according to their height for the airthrow can work as well.

The challenge in Normal mode is deciding how to transform. Sure, the other guy might give you the time to bloodpack - but he might just be suckering you in to a free combo and knockdown for him. You don't usually want this, but desperate times can call for desparate measures, and if shit's just not going your way, you might just need to bite the bullet. It's also your job in normal mode to poke back and poke smart. As a beginner, it's imperative to learn some normal combos into Keygrab, such as 2H (2hit) j.P j.S Keygrab, and 2K 2D Keygrab (2K 2D Slide Keygrab works on many characters too, and can slide under bursts. ;)) The more normals -> Keygrab shit you know, the more likely you are to convert your hits into Moroha. Later, it's good to know a real dust combo, or some more damaging ground combos like Rekka FRC or throw wallbounce combos just so when you find yourself in the uncommon position of finishing off someone near dead in normal mode, you can.

B. Moroha Mode

Congratulations, you made it. You've got three knockdowns to work with. Make the most of them. I believe I once heard that in Isuka, Turtle ABAs were hell to deal with. As such, the time gauge was added for /. That doesn't mean you can't turtle with her, but that gauge can certainly try one's patience. I'm not here to tell you to play super agressive or very patient and cautious - that's for you to work out. However, there are certain transform decisions that you WILL have to make when playing ABA, and I'm going to briefly go over some of them later. First, I'd like to discuss your knockdowns and oki strategy.

For the most part, ABA's combos generally end in one of these ways.

1. Combo into Butt (Knockdown)

2. Combo into Airborne Keygrab or Airthrow (Knockdown)

3. Air Combo into j.D or Orbs (Opponent Techs)

4. Ground Keygrab or OTG Keygrab (Knockdown)

5. Combo into Mistimed Butt (Opponent Techs)

6. 2D (Strong Knockdown)

7. Standing P (Opponent Techs)

I find in my play, the first three occur the most. With different weights, you'll have to adjust the timing of your butt loops to get the knockdown (Try doing corner throw, dash in 5S, 2S, Butt, 5S, 2S, Butt on Ky, then Baiken, for instance.) It's important that you always do, though. Unlike some characters in this game, ABA doesn't have to choose between damage or knockdown/keygrab; she can generally get both. Different knockdowns serve different purposes, however.

Whenever you combo into an Air Keygrab out of Moroha, when you land, you're probably going to want to get the fuck back into Moroha while you can. Again, stressing the Normal mode = disadvantage, Moroha = advantage path. This knockdown gives you the freedom to bloodpack, but not to pursue with your oki.

Comboing into a butt, ground keygrab, or 2D knockdown, however, is a different story. Generally speaking, if they just finished eating a 2D or butt knockdown, they just lost a third or more of their life. It also leaves you in good shape to take whatever life you left them with. Here are some options;

1. 2H: Unthrowable from frames 13-18, you GET this for oki. If you've got a reversal happy opponent, you can FRC block and punish, or if the 2H is late, you can buffer in a Danzai or EX Danzai through whatever reversal they had planned. If they block, good. Continue into rekkas, jumps, block, or reset. If they try to throw you or whatever and this hits, continue into IAD S, HS, Orbs, and if that takes them to the corner you can finish with short dash 5S, 2S, Butt, 5P and tech games.

2. Run up 2K: Low string starter. You NEED to learn how to time your dash and 2K so that this is pretty unthrowable and sticks them to the ground at the same time.

3. Running jump j.S: I believe the Moroha post has more on this one. I think a 2D can generally set this up to be SRK safe; so does a butt KD, but timing is tough.

4. Run up Danzai: lololol. A fantastic way to really fuck up scrubs. They can't throw it, and if you time it well, they can't swing against it either. Sol needs special EX treatment on this one.

5. Run up throw: lololol too, but not as scrubtastic. NO, run up Danzai vs. run up throw is NOT a mixup! But keep these options in mind.

6. Jump /dashjump over, j.HS: j.HS is crossup sauce. Get a good feel for this move and how to crossup with it, especially since it's got some serious priority. After a CH Danzai, you can guarantee a dash jump over, air dash backward crossup or non-crossup j.H.

7. Jump /dashjump over, Orbs: When you counterhit with this one for the first time, it'll make you smile.

8. Dust/Unblockable: Good for the big damage surprise. ABA has one of the fastest dusts in the game at 22 frames in Moroha. (23 in normal; 20 in G.Moroha!) The animation isn't Jam subtle but it definitely gets the job done.

9. Run up 2P, tick throw: Just your basic tick throw, there when you want to catch a 2x Keygrab or want the kill. There are a few other decent tick throw setups, Knockdown -> deep dash in 2H, pause, 1 hit rekkas, throw being my favorite.

For Moroha, beginners need to learn basic damage combos. They'll advance to learning basic oki setups and how to poke, and then learn better combos and more ways of getting their damage. And through all that, you'll figure out how to both manage ABA + modes well, as well as play better defense. It's possible you'll be Danzai spam happy at first, and then you should quickly learn the hard way why you can't. Eventually you'll get reversal Danzai / EX Slide timing down, and then the sky's the limit. Who knows, you might even learn some Goku Moroha combos for the hell of it. (It's not a useless super/mode, it's just very situational. It takes 50% tension and one bloodpack, but nobody remembers about this fucking thing and if you catch someone with it, it's a decent stagger and a free combo for the win. You've got invincibility upon activation.)

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(ABA Strategy Con't.)

C. Putting It All Together

So now that you've got the idea on how to play ABA in Normal and Moroha mode, you've got to deal with a hard part of playing ABA that has to eventually become natural and instinctive; transforming. Normal mode management is pretty simple - GET THE FUCK IN THERE - but Moroha is a pretty gray area. Say you just landed a 2K in the corner. You combo into 5S and then the first hit of 2H. What do you do now?

1. Combo into Air Keygrab

You let the 2H hit a second time which launches. Dash in, 5S, 2S, s.jK, s.jS, Keygrab, land, and bloodpack. You dealt about 1/5-1/4 damage, and put yourself in a neutral/barely favorable position post-bloodpack. You refreshed your knockdowns. You also spent no tension.

2. Combo into Double Keygrab

After the first hit of 2H, you go right into your Rekkas and the groundslide. FRC the last hit, then run up 2D, Danzai, and before they hit the ground, run up and hit them with 5S xx Keygrab. Then they'll land, and you can Keygrab again, this time OTG. You dealt about 1/5 damage, put yourself in a slightly favorable position, and refreshed your knockdowns. You spent 25% tension.

3. Combo for tensionless damage

You let the 2H hit a second time which launches. Dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt, 5S, 2S, Butt, 5P, 5S, j.D. You dealt about 1/3 damage, but they can tech away. No tension spent. If you stopped before the 5P however, you might get a knockdown depending on the untechable time of the last Butt. Your knockdowns are the same.

4. Combo for damage, 25% tension

After the first hit of 2H, you go right into your Rekkas and the groundslide. Run up to the body in the corner and 6H (1hit), which launches. Go into the serious loop, j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, land. Dash jump, j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, land. Depending on a bunch of factors, including timing, distance, and character weight, you might be able to even do a Keygrab -> OTG Keygrab at the end of that; if not, they can tech away. You dealt about 1/3 to 1/2 damage, but they can tech away. 25% tension spent. Your knockdowns are the same.

5. Combo for damage and Air Keygrab, 50% tension

You let the 2H hit a second time which launches. Dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt, RC, Orbs. If you time it right, you can get both Orbs to hit, which is :D for you and D: for him. Land, 5S, 2S, sj.K, sj.S, Keygrab, land, and bloodpack. You dealt about 1/3 damage, and put yourself in a neutral/barely favorable position post-bloodpack. You refreshed your knockdowns and spent 50% tension.

All five of those options are viable - and these five are definitely not the only options. Some of them get you damage, a keygrab/double keygrab, or good positioning. Some get you more than one at the price of tension. To be a strong and smart ABA player, you NEED to be aware of ALL options available to you should you land a hit, and instantly make the best call for her at that point in the fight on the spot. So the question I just asked, what do you do now, isn't one we can really answer; it's all situational. Look at the factors that impact this decision. If you and your opponent have full HP, and you've got three full knockdowns to go, you'll go for options 3 or 4, whereas if it's late in the fight, got one knockdown to go on your current bar and have just one bloodpack left, Option 2 looks pretty good. With ABA, It's up to you to know what decisions you can and should make.

Note: Should your bar be pixels away from running out, it's better to not even risk continuing the combo; in the case mentioned above, string into 2H and just combo straight into the keygrab.

Note 2: Those rough damage figures are probably off, I'll update them with accurate damage numbers soon.

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V. Intermediate / Advanced Combos

All of ABAs attacks will generally lead into big damage combos.

5P, 2P, 5K, 2K, j.S, j.HS; all string into 5S.

If close to your opponent, string 5S string into 2HS.

If far away-ish, string 5S into Rekkas.

2HS

Hits twice, can be cancelled after the first hit into Rekkas for alternative combos.

Followups:

Tensionless, Corner: 2HS, IAD j.S, j.HS, Orbs, land, 2S, Keygrab, OTG Keygrab (Works against most of the cast)

Tensionless, Corner: 2HS, IAD j.S, j.HS, Orbs, dash jump S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs (Keygrab, OTG Keygrab?)

25% Tension: 2HS, IAD j.S, j.HS, Orbs, FRC, land, dash 5P, 5S, 2S, sj.K, j.S, Keygrab

50% Tension, Corner: 2HS, dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt, RC, Orbs (2hit), land, dash in, 5S, 2S, sj.K, j.S, Keygrab

Rekkas:

Three piece combo. The second hit staggers, so feel free to roman cancel that and follow up as you would with a 5HS counterhit (read: With ANYTHING). The third hit groundslides, and when you FRC the last hit you can net huge damage.

25% Tension, Corner: 2HS (1hit), Rekkas FRC, dash 6H, dash jump j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, dash jump j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs

50% Tension: Rekkas (2hit) RC second hit, dash in, 5S (2hit) 2HS (2hit) Keygrab (If in corner, OTG Keygrab)

5D (Dust):

ABA swings for the fences, and on hit, does anywhere from serious to lethal damage depending on your opponent's guard gauge and how much tension you have. The 50% tension Impossible Dust combo is especially fun to do on people with cranked guard gauges. Hilarity ensues as ABA absolutely dominates their lifebar.

Tensionless: 5D (homing jump), jump again, j.HS, land, 5S, 2S, Butt, 5P, 5S, 2S, j.D, Orbs.

(1:00 into http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu7QxpisaDU)

50% Tension: 5D (homing jump), jump again, j.HS, land, 5S, 2S, Butt RC, Orbs (2hit), 5S, 2S, sj.K, j.S, Keygrab

In addition, other moves give you big damage on counter hit.

2S

Will float on CH.

Followup: Dash, 5P, 5S, 2S, sj.K, j.S, j.HS, Keygrab.

5HS

Massive stagger on CH.

Followups: Whatever your heart desires. Dash in, 5S, etc

Funny combos:

Just some funny combos I came up with..

Combo into Bloodball! (Aka, what a waste of 100% Tension;)

EX Danzai, RC, 236D, dash in w/e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64fKMKh4xwI

Cranked Guard Gauge:

Throw, 5S CH, Unblockable CH, dash jump j.HS CH, anything out of groundslide

My Faust variation is here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngovMrxDW5U

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Throw

ABA's Moroha Throw is very simple to understand.

IT LAUNCHES.

And she's got a ton of options off her throw. Sure, they might be prorated, but if you crank that guard gauge...who cares!

Different uses for ABA's Moroha Throw

1. Keygrab + Knockdown

Throw, dash in, 5K, 6P (1hit), 2S, sj.K, sj.S, sj.HS, Keygrab

This is the first one you should learn off of a throw. While not being terribly fancy, it won't take you too long to learn how to super jump after the 2S, and it definitely gets the job done. Good throw damage and a keygrab from anywhere on the screen, this one's your BnB.

2. The Setup

Throw, dash in deep, 5S, 2S, Butt

This combo sacrifices negligible damage (unless you've cranked that guard gauge) for a powerful oki setup. My personal favorite when I don't have them pinned in the corner and don't crave a keygrab. Depending on how long you wait before that 5S, and the time between the butt recovery and your movement, you can do pretty much anything. Dash jump j.S, j.HS, or delay Orbs, dash 2H/2K/5D/6HS/unblock/bloodball/tick throw/throw, you know the drill.

3. The Dio Special

Throw, dash jump j.P, j.S, j.HS, land, 5P, 5S, 2S, sj S, Keygrab (With variations based on weight of character)

The flashiest known throw combo for ABA. This one is all in the timing of the dash jump, which can be tough to pull off consistently. After you get that, you'll also have to make some adjustments depending on what character you threw. But hit this, you'll get a keygrab, you'll get some nods, and you didn't even need a corner.

4. Burst Fucker

Throw, 2H, Danzai, dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt

When ABA throws you, you can't burst between the time the throw animation begins and the time you hit the ground. As a result, if the opponent bursts anytime in that 2H, you will fuck his burst MD style and get a combo. NOTE: This information might be horribly incorrect and will be testing it tonight! I also think that the danzai might whiff the burst sometimes. Again, will test. l o l. :(

5. Orb Loop (Corner)

Throw, dash jump j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, land, Danzai, Keygrab, OTG Keygrab

This one requires a corner, but nets you the KG OTG KG reset. Again, the difficulty is in the dash jump. Alternatively regular jump j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, land, 2S Keygrab, OTG Keygrab also works I think, and the regular jump -> j.S is mashable, which makes it easier albeit less damaging.

6. Butt Loop (Corner with Tension Options)

Throw, dash in, 5S, 2S, Butt..

a. 5S, 2S, Butt, 5P, 5S, 2S, sj.S, Keygrab

b. 5S, 2S, Butt, 5P, 5S, 2S, sj.D, Orbs, FRC, AD j.HS, Keygrab

c. RC, Orbs, land, 2S, sj.S, sj.HS, Keygrab

This one doesn't net you an OTG Keygrab, and I think nets you as much, maybe slightly more damage than the Orb Loop, but is more for having built a better guard gauge and if you've got some pocketed tension. It also gives you the opportunity for some tech traps with 5P. I'll look up some specifics later.

And there you have it for ABA's Moroha throw options. :) I'll add a cranked Guard Gauge throw combo or two in the near future.

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Great guide you have going there, to tell the truth I couldn't had done it better myself. Only thing I could see missing is that you haven't added a dust combo(unless you are saving that for the last part). I think I might of posted some in the combo thread, if not... then -On cornered opponent- Dust > ID(with dj.HS) > Land > 5S > 2S > 421HS > (run up a bit) > 5S > 2S > SJ > j.S > j.HS > 41236S is an easy one to get new people started(Might also have to explain impossible dust a little, we want to make these guides as user friendly as possible with new people. Also, another combo that would be good to list(I consider it a BnB for A.B.A) would be the throw into corner then going into her j.S j.HS j.D 41236S double keystab combo, pretty useful combo for double keystab when tick throwing a cornered opponent.

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For ID, I go with: Dust > ID (with dj.HS), land, 5S, 2S, 421HS +followups too, though I'll probably eventually learn something silly looking and impractical that deals less damage. ;p VVV If they're in the corner, I can either 5S, 2S, 421HS again if they're falling perfectly and continue, or just end with a 5P 5S j.D Orbs, which can then be FRC'd into IAD j.HS Keygrab. Also, if I had 50% tension at the beginning, I could RC the first 421HS into two hit orbs and continue as necessary for tons of damage and a keygrab. If they're not in the corner, I'll just relaunch after the j.HS with like dash in K 6P (1hit) 2S sj.K etc And for an alternative easier throw combo in the corner into double keystab is throw, 2H Danzai (eats bursts frequently), dash in, 5S, Keygrab, OTG Keygrab. I'll def add yours for the Intermediate/Advanced.

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Yeah, pretty much, for the dust combo I do different variations depending on the character I am playing, if I am low on life I go for double keystab. As for the throw combo in the corner, yeah that's a good option too, I mainly use the other one because I am just too used to the orb combos. Only bad thing is that I -think- it misses on light characters(the double keystab part), but I don't remember correctly at the moment(I'd check, but I just finished playing GGXXAC all night with a friend, too tired.)

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oh and. is "butt" combo that good? i mean i never use it (i'm new to GG) and i dont really understand how to do it...

ABA has two main loops in AC, both which are obviously done in the corner. The first one is new for her in AC, which she can do out of groundslide, and an accurately timed jump off other hits such as EX Danzai and corner throw.

(generally dash jump,) j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs.

If you're in the corner, depending on your opponent's weight/hitbox, your positioning, and how far into the combo you are, this can be repeated. If you're in the open, you can FRC the Orbs and do it again. If after the orb / land portion of the loop, you are close to the corner and your opponent's body is close to the ground but not on it, you can keygrab -> OTG keygrab, which you absolutely do. It's super easy on Potemkin, so you can start there to learn it. Try 236S, 46S, 63214S FRC, dash in, (corner) 6H (1hit), j.S, j.HS, j.D, Orbs, land. Keygrab before he hits the ground, then OTG keygrab for a free Moroha refresh without consuming any packs. :)

Her second loop is from /, the old school Butt Loop. It's not as damaging as the Orb loop, but you'll have more opportunities to pull it off.

5S 2S Butt (421H).

or, 5K, 2S Butt.

or, 5K, 6P (1 or 2 hit), 2S, Butt.

If you have no tension and land a 5S near the corner, you can combo into a 2H launcher into 2x Butt Loops if you wanted. You can loop after an ID, a throw, groundslide, CH 2S, CH Orbs FRC, etc. You'll eventually recognize your opportunities when you see them. An advantage of the butt loop is with 50% tension, you can RC the Butt into Orbs. Since ABA is still carried toward the opponent by the 421H momentum, if you use Orbs right on top of the other guy, you'll hit with both of them for serious damage, and you can generally either land and keygrab -> OTG keygrab or 2S sj.K sj.S sj.HS Keygrab. Try this on someone.

(Corner) 2H, dash in, 5S, 2S, 421H. 5S, 2S, 421H, RC, Orbs, land, 2S, sj.K, sj.S, sj.H, sj.D.

I'm not sure the exact mechanics of how to best set up double keygrab off her new loop, if Furix or anyone else can shed some more light on that that'd be great. Also, while you can generally only get about two Butt loops in Moroha mode, if you ever find yourself in Goku Moroha mode, you can get like 4 or so. :)

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A few notes: - 421h RC can do one of three things: delayed orbs, ad.h xx orbs, or land and double keygrab. All three are weight/hitbox specific. Anything ending in orbs links to the j.s-h-d xx orbs, so you can convert awkward midscreen hits (e.g., 2s) into corner orb loops if you have the tension. - 2h should always go into ad.s-h/d xx orbs -> orb loop. I'm not aware of any reason to do the butt loop instead, as the orb loop is really easy off of a 2h. - for double keygrabs from orb loops, you want to hit the j.s as early as possible in each iteration, and the j.d as late as possible in each iteration. Generally, you will want to hit j.s-h as fast as you can to keep low launch height, then delay j.d xx orbs until the last second. There are also specific timing variations on certain characters depending on the launcher - for instance, on Sol from 2h groundbounce, you can do {2h, delayed iad.s, delay, h-d xx orbs, (dashjump s-h, delay, d xx orbs, land)x2, keygrab x2}. Also, ending after one loop nets double keygrabs even against light characters, and it's a lot easier to time.

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ad.h xx orbs

Funny stuff happens there, it's not as clean as it was in /, seemingly because of the changes to HS movement on hit. I think I do IAD HS, Orbs FRC Orb Loop if I have tension, but it's 5AM and I can't remember off the top of my head. Also as Metsuke said, be wary of 421H RC Double Keygrab, watch the height of the other character as well as how far into your combo you are. Long whiff keygrab animation is long.

2H xx AD combo xx Orb loop is generally the best option - Butt loop might be barely burst safer, if it has an advantage at all. Thanks a lot for the weight info! I'm still unsure of how the orb loop works in its entirety, with how many reps I can get per character with and without tension for FRCs.

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From what i've figured out, dash jump orb loops make ti WAY easier to land 3 reps or more. On lights however, MAYBE 2 reps is the best I can get, but on slayer/potemkin/ky 3 reps is no big issue. Sorry if i'm off topic here, but i'd like to know if this is a waste of tension. corner: 5s, hs, 3piece frc, 2d, FB danzai, dash jump, s, hs, d, orb, land, key stab, keystab.

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Funny stuff happens there, it's not as clean as it was in /, seemingly because of the changes to HS movement on hit. I think I do IAD HS, Orbs FRC Orb Loop if I have tension, but it's 5AM and I can't remember off the top of my head.

421h RC ad.h xx orbs only works well against lights, and maybe some mids with thin hitboxes. You want the ad.h to catch them at the peak of the launch after the 421h; the ad.h will fling them downwards, into the orbs. If they're too low or too heavy, they'll hit the ground before the orbs come out. The benefit to doing this, instead of just 421h RC orbs, is that if you do time it correctly, the launch height after the orbs is *perfect* for two-rep orb loop - it's a nice, low float, and because you did the orbs an inch off the ground, you recover quickly also.

If you started in deep corner, 421h RC delayed orbs nets more damage because of the double orb hit, but it's also harder to time (both the orbs, and the loop afterwards). Anywhere out of the corner, ad.h xx orbs is a better followup if you can get it to work.

To make execution easier, buffer the airdash (if you aren't doing it already). In other words, 6, RC, 6+h.

2H xx AD combo xx Orb loop is generally the best option - Butt loop might be barely burst safer, if it has an advantage at all. Thanks a lot for the weight info! I'm still unsure of how the orb loop works in its entirety, with how many reps I can get per character with and without tension for FRCs.

I do think butt loop is safer vs. burst just because of its trajectory - although if your opponent bursts the orb loop at the j.s, you will sometimes auto-throw the burst if you're holding forward. Not sure why anyone would burst there, and I can't even get it consistently, but there you have it.

As for orb loop, there's usually no point in going beyond two reps regardless, because damage scaling has dropped your damage to single-digits by that point (the entire third loop adds maybe 20 damage average), and you always lose double keygrab (except against Potemkin - you can do three reps and still get the keygrab). Against light characters, you're limited to just one loop if you want the double keygrab, but you can get up to three sometimes (e.g., Jam, from 2h) if you don't care about the grab. The good news is that about 80% of the damage in the orb loop is in the launch+first rep, so even with one loop against lights you're still doing 200+ damage with no guard bar or tension.

The height mechanics of the orb loop are kind of weird because of the way j.h works (it throws both of you downward), and the hitstop on j.d. Also, there's a lot more room to play with timing from the 2h launch than from the rekkas FRC dash 6h. From the rekkas, you pretty much just hit 6h JC j.s-h as fast as you can, then delay the j.d until you've almost hit the ground. It's the same for every opponent, and in some cases you just can't get the double keygrab because they're too light, their hitbox is too thin, etc.

From 2h things get a lot more interesting. You can insert delays in a number of places depending on the opponent, and you can either airdash high or low. Some characters, like Anji, Potemkin, etc. are really easy, in which case it pretty much doesn't matter how you do it. Other characters are a bit trickier, especially if you want the dashjump on the first rep instead of just a forward jump.

For instance:

On Zappa: 2h JC high iad, delay j.s, pause, j.h xx orbs, land -> (dashjump j.s-h, delay j.d xx orbs, land)x2 -> keygrab x2.

On Venom: 2h pause JC low iad.s, delay j.h xx orbs, land -> (dashjump j.s-h, delay j.d xx orbs, land)x2 -> keygrab x2.

(where pause is a longer wait than delay).

The key points to remember for 2h launch:

- the iad.s should hit as late as possible (this keeps them lower to the ground)

- the j.h should hit as high/late as possible (i.e., you want your opponent as far above you as you can get without j.h whiffing)

- if the opponent is light, keep everything as low to the ground as possible, and delay j.h less

- if the opponent is heavy, or has a bad hitbox, you'll want a higher airdash - this allows you to delay j.h longer without it whiffing.

- the longer you delay j.h, the more falling velocity you have, so you will land earlier after the orbs.

- landing earlier from the orbs means two things: you can do dashjump j.s instead of forward jump j.s; you can delay the j.s if you need to, which allows you to adjust the height of the next loop.

- doing the dashjump on both reps, instead of forward jump on the first rep and dashjump on the second rep, makes netting the double keygrab a lot easier, especially against characters with thin hitboxes.

In point of fact, most of the timing trickiness comes from the launch - if you get the right height from the launch, the loops just flow, assuming you delay the j.d correctly. In the actual loop (i.e., just j.s-h-d xx orbs), the two main things to look for are: the j.s should hit when you are above them, and the j.d should hit right before either one of you touches the ground. Done correctly, you and your opponent should be floating at the exact same height, an inch off the ground, when the j.d connects. If one of you is higher than the other, the timing can be adjusted a bit. (The technical reason for this is that being at the same height gives you the biggest delay window. If either person is lower, it shortens the window of delay).

The j.d delay is the hardest to time, because if it's too late, one of two things will happen: you OTG them with j.d, or you land and do masshou. In both cases they tech out and punish you, so if you screw up you'd rather the j.d be too early than too late. The problem with doing j.d too early is that, 1) the opponent will be too high - this makes double keygrab impossible later, and 2) you are too high, so landing+recovery on the orbs is really long, and you may not even get the second loop.

Finally, remember that if you ever fuck things up, you can always tack on the old 2s JC hj.s-h-(d) xx keygrab after orbs. The untechable window on orbs is long enough that 2s will hit even if your timing was completely off, and the hitbox on 2s is high enough to tag them even if they're a mile in the air.

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Thanks for that Metsuke - the mechanics of all different weights and a lot of stuff regarding her moves have always confused me and is great info to have on here. I'll compile this shit pretty soon. *Another advantage of doing the buttloop is setting up a better knockdown situation. Orb loop generally ends in Keygrab, which has you recovering just a little before them, or with them teching away. While everyone should take advantage of the Orb loop off hits like j.HS S and 2HS since you'll absolutely murder the other guy, if you land a throw, 2K, or 5P into combo and have three or two (depending on match factors) knockdowns left, it's certainly an option to string into a rep or two of the butt loop to set up a more dangerous oki, like a SRK safe dash jumping j.S mixup, since those hits will be prorating a chunk anyway. (If you're concerned about the knockdowns, you'll get a little more damage and double keygrab with the orb loop.) I just started working on an A.B.A video that's basically this FAQ in video form, just to go along with it for visuals. I'm going to try to have it out around the time of SE-R2 about a month from now.

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Danzai, FB and non-FB, absorb attacks at half the damage. :JO:

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Well for one, you can't really use it for oki. I never really use the delayed one, since I rarely do a third hit anyway. I don't know, I usually get hit when I delay Dangoku, but that might just be because I haven't really bothered to experiment with the delay on my own time. I don't really like it, but I can play around with it the next time I get in a good casuals session. And when ABA is out of life, you really don't want to danzai. You can, just.. don't use it to trade with stuff.

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Hi guys, I just picked up A.B.A. I was playing Sol for.... years and played plenty of other characters as alts but when I started practicing A.B.A I was really excited. Probably will be my new main. Thanks Moroha and everybody else for this awesome guide!

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Normal mode midscreen throw, dash in keystab works on:

Faust*

*very tight, have to input command very fast

Im surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet but for faust a dash isn't even needed. Just the input alone will catch faust and get you into moroha mode.

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Im surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet but for faust a dash isn't even needed. Just the input alone will catch faust and get you into moroha mode.

confirmed

oh btw. 41236k in moroha mode IS blockable. if you are in air you CAN block it. not fd or smth. just block. that sux so bad.

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It's actually not the worst thing if they airblock it, since you're still in decent shape afterwards to continue pressure.

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well it was never really unblockable to begin with. I think even in Isuka you could block in the air if you FD'd like in Slash.

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I was reading the analysis and between jumping S and HS, which is better? You state that jumping has a lot of priority and ignores some 6Ps, but you didn't state what things can anti-air it.

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