[CT] Arakune Beginner Guide (How to make bees out of sarcasm)

[I Call Shotgun]

This has got to be the most newfag-ish question in the entire thread, but... Is there a way to send out bugs without, well, making Ara attack as well? It's very frustrating trying to throw bugs at the opponent AND chain off combos at the time because pressing a certain button to let a bug fly makes Ara use a move that throws off all the epic mojo that could come from combos with bugs. Obviously mashing buttons is not the best strategy, but for all the stuff I've read about Arakune I can't seem to find any combo-friendly ways to get them ants in your opponent's pants.

[CopperDabbit]

Hold down a button as you attack with it. For example, just wiff 5A from across the screen. Let go whenever you're ready for it.

[tolore]

you can also faultless and release if you need an A or a B bug, that's what I often do.

[Soniti]

You can faultless with back+a+b+c and then let go when you want for any of those 3 bugs.

[I Call Shotgun]

Alright, that sounds nice. I'd hate to be the only one running around spamming my ass off five feet from a vulnerable opponent. Or at least it certainly looks like spamming... let's pretend I'm not just thanking the gods I finally got in a curse without getting a fork stuck in my eye. I generally go in for a j.b if I'm able to blockstun with the bugs, having a nice wide-range attack with so many frames makes it easy to let loose some bugs without looking like a moron or leaving yourself vunlerable.

[INSANITY1O21O]

ok i need alot of better pressure options then air dash j.B and get them cursed and use bug to lock down

[Matt]

I've been reading these posts about whether or not to get a stick. What I have to say about that is that if you ever want to do the 6A->5D->236BC->C loop combo while the opponent is cursed you will NEED a stick because you can't release the D bug during the beginning of the combo or else it will fuck it up. I found it physically impossible to use one thumb to press D and then press B and C while still holding D. So if you ever want to do a combo like that that recurses the opponent while the opponent is already cursed you will NEED a stick.

[tolore]

you can map buttons to the shoulders for stuff like that, or play with multiple fingers on th ebuttons. I've seen people play eddie like that(I've also played marko in garou like that). Stick is obviously better but it's not at all impossible.

[Vshadow]

As soon as I get the money I'm getting a stick for sure. But at the moment I mapped the D to a shoulder and it works fine for holding your D bug through combos. Even still, I think a stick will help a lot when it comes to doing some of the faster air game stuff with Arakune though.

[tolore]

thanks to veteru's advice i'm finding the dive cancel quite easy(at least in practice mode). The method he recommended was to press and hold b after you hit the opponent(or they block) while still holding down, then release down. This makes it super easy, I went from not having any idea on even the timing of cancelling the dive, to doing the dive cancel and combo after it about 60% of the time in about half an hour.

the basic input looks like this

[2]A->hit the opponent/the opponent blocks->wait(for a split second if you hit them low on their body, slightly longer if you hit them high)->->almost instantly release 2->continue holding B

the 5B should come out at that point.

Ways to fail and how to fix them:

Another dive comes out: you are pressing B to early

Dive cancel into 2B: releasing 2 too late

don't dive cancel at all: releasing 2 too early

if you need clarification or anything just ask(As a not [] means to hold the button I think tha'ts standard notation).

[Abstract]

[2]A->hit the opponent/the opponent blocks->wait(for a split second if you hit them low on their body, slightly longer if you hit them high)->->almost instantly release 2->continue holding B

I've actually got it to the point where I can just tap B. I find holding B makes it a bit tougher to hitconfirm.

[tolore]

Why need to hit confirm, if you whiff there's enough time to realize, and you want the 5B whether it hits or they block it right?

[Abstract]

Why need to hit confirm, if you whiff there's enough time to realize, and you want the 5B whether it hits or they block it right?

D'oh. Hitconfirm was the wrong word. I just find it harder to jump jA after the 5B when I'm holding down the button for some reason. Probably because of the whole playing on pad thing.

[tolore]

ahhh I see, I don't really have that problem on stick but i coudl see it being annoying on pad.

[Abstract]

ahhh I see, I don't really have that problem on stick but i coudl see it being annoying on pad.

Yeah. If I recall how the command interpreter works though, doesn't that little trick turn (holding down B) what was initially a 3 frame window into an 8 frame one?

[ryofoong]

I've been reading these posts about whether or not to get a stick. What I have to say about that is that if you ever want to do the 6A->5D->236BC->C loop combo while the opponent is cursed you will NEED a stick because you can't release the D bug during the beginning of the combo or else it will fuck it up. I found it physically impossible to use one thumb to press D and then press B and C while still holding D. So if you ever want to do a combo like that that recurses the opponent while the opponent is already cursed you will NEED a stick.

This isn't entirely true. You can always do 6A>2B>C Loop. Although you need a good part of your curse still active, it makes comboing during a curse much easier. Also instead of holding the D bug during the 6A>5D you can always summon the D bug so it's pulled backwards towards you. I've had a number of success doing this method versus holding down the D bug. Bug it's all up to you.

[tolore]

Yeah. If I recall how the command interpreter works though, doesn't that little trick turn (holding down B) what was initially a 3 frame window into an 8 frame one?

not exactly, it just makes the 3 frames only affect the release of 2, instead of having to press B twice with timing and release the 2 with timing. if you press B before the 3 frames you still do another dive instead of canceling, and if you do it too late you land, all it does is make the B after you land guaranteed.

[Matt]

Alright, so I have been trying to figure this out lately, but I'm not sure if I have this figured out 100%. When you're on the defensive with Arakune you use 5C on opponents who are air dashing in, 2B on opponents who are jumping in and 2A/2B/2D after a block string. Is that right?

[tolore]

5C on an opponent who is aird dashing in while likely get you nothing because they'll land during the 23 frames your move starts up, if they are hakumen they'll counterit on reaction(if they are good/know that they can react to anti air). really for 5C and 2B you just gotta know from experience when you can do it, lots of moves beat both, some lose to one, some lose to the other, and this all changes depending on the height and angle the opponent is coming in at. Other options for anti air is jump j.a, pre empt jump j.6a/b/c, spider laser(not usually recommended), if you have 100 % meter block dead angle->spider laser->curse. Arakune's anti air game is really limited by his slow slow 5C, so it can be tough.

[thegame4ever]

5C on an opponent who is aird dashing in while likely get you nothing because they'll land during the 23 frames your move starts up, if they are hakumen they'll counterit on reaction(if they are good/know that they can react to anti air). really for 5C and 2B you just gotta know from experience when you can do it, lots of moves beat both, some lose to one, some lose to the other, and this all changes depending on the height and angle the opponent is coming in at. Other options for anti air is jump j.a, pre empt jump j.6a/b/c, spider laser(not usually recommended), if you have 100 % meter block dead angle->spider laser->curse.

Arakune's anti air game is really limited by his slow slow 5C, so it can be tough.

I don't agree with that since 5C has great invincibility frames on it, and if timed right it can always beat out an opponent dashing in unless they dash in a crossing manner, in that case use 2B to beat them out. It's great for an anti-air, and plenty of invincibility frames.

[tolore]

It has a ton of invincible frames but they don't matter since if the opponent is smart they will air dash in such a way that you will invincible through their air move, then they will land, then they will block the 5C. To hit people out of an air daished attack you often have to do the 5C before they do it, or so quickly after they do it it becomes prediction instead of reaction, you have to basically GUESS and tha'ts not good with moves like 5C.

[CopperDabbit]

It's all part of a mixup tolore. If you always do the same thing you should get punished for it. In this regard, try air throws, 2B, j.A, etc. as additional anti-air options in conjunction with 5C.

[ryofoong]

j.A is awesome for anti-airing people who you know are going to jump in. Because then you can do a normal blah blah combo blah blah damage blah blah nerf Arakune blah blah.

[Skye]

j.B is much better though for that, they end up running right into it.

[PhantomX]

So in many combo videos I see Japanese Arakune's summoning bugs from a ton of places while just sitting their shielding. Is it safe to assume they have had these buttons depressed the entire time and then just release them whenever they need to? I play pad, so I know this would be hella hard for me, lol.