[Xrd] Ramlethal vs Zato-1

[Sakaku]

Discuss the matchup here.

 

From the gameplay discussion thread:

 

any tips against Zato, I get wrecked by any decent Zato who can pressure well.

is his drill mine + j.5k unblockable? I can't do nothing blocking low will get me hit from high.

Having difficulties getting close to him and from far away drill + mawaru keep me grounded, it's only the matter of time until I blocked wrong then I eat some nasty dmg.

 

The mine hits low and the j.K hits high, so yeah it's an "unblockable", but actually the way it works in GG is that two things can't hit on the same frame, so if they're both meaty, the "oldest" object will hit first, which would be Zato, so the j.K. Then the other hit comes on the next frame. It's technically possible to switch your guard on the 1f between the two but it's so difficult and Zato can just vary the timing to make the mine hit first that it's considered "unblockable."

 

The big thing you CAN do though, is that because it doesn't actually hit high and low on the same frame, you can blitz shield the j.K (since it comes first), then use the invuln of the blitz shield success to give you enough time to switch your block to low to block the mine. Eddie reels from the BS long enough that you can safely block the mine without worrying about him.

 

It's not fool-proof, since Zato can just vary the timing on the j.K and you'll get rocked, but it's an out.

 

Didn't the Japanese consider Ramlethal vs Zato match up to be slighty in Ramlethal's favor? I remember hearing that Karinchu or Batako was making Ogawa look free initially but Ogawa's got a good grasp on the match up now. 

 

Anyways, this type of question should probably go into the match up thread. I find that playing a more zoning game against Zato is effective as deployed 6S and 2S controls Eddie while 6HS or 2HS controls Zato when he's flying around. If you get Zato to respect one of the swords that's when you can start applying pressure on him and try to run your game. Other wise just continue to play the neutral game and keep an eye out for Eddie and then Zato's relative position to avoid being put into his pressure situations. If Zato is flying around you it's really hard to react with 6P anti-air as he can alter his timing and his j.K has a good hit box on it. If the swords are equipped you can use 2S, 2HS, or 5HS as an alternative anti-air option and even though they are slower on start up their large hit box works really well.

 

The bad Zato players will try to get Eddie to do the work for them which leaves Eddie vulnerable to your swords or 2K/2P. The good Zato players know they need to protect Eddie with out over committing themselves but this leaves them susceptible to deployed swords. One of the things I see with Zato players is that if you're over deploying your swords they'll shrink into the puddle and move towards you to cause the swords to whiff. If they get under neath you they'll YRC the recovery of the puddle and then go for a command grab or try to apply pressure. Sticking to the air will avoid this situation but depending on the position the YRC slow down might open you up to Eddie anti-air or an air throw from Zato.

 

If you find yourself caught in Zato's pressure it's best to block low and react to his 6K over head since it's slower in Xrd and not commonly used anymore. The major thing you have to keep an eye out is the command grab which you can either up back, throw, or interrupt with 2P but there's associated risks with this.

[matic]

So I did not see any matchup threads yet (I may well be missing them) so ill post here. does anyone have any zato advice? I finally fought a good one last night but I only won 1-2 matches out of 10 or so. I feel really grounded in this match and I don't understand his pressure i also dropped corner combos/resets a lot when I manatee push him that far, although I likely would have lost even if I finished then lots of times

[Complexity]

So I did not see any matchup threads yet (I may well be missing them) so ill post here. does anyone have any zato advice? I finally fought a good one last night but I only won 1-2 matches out of 10 or so. I feel really grounded in this match and I don't understand his pressure i also dropped corner combos/resets a lot when I manatee push him that far, although I likely would have lost even if I finished then lots of times

 

The matchup threads are above, but I'll answer this here anyway.

 

Toss out your swords. Unless the player is very good at controlling both Zato and Eddie simultaneously, he's going to have a very hard time dodging them and remember that any blocked sword will cause Eddie to disappear, making the neutral game a lot easier to play since Eddie isn't on the field. For me I just throw the H sword out.

 

Random trance in neutral isn't very good against Zato either because he can fly. Sometimes you can get it off with reacting to players already using their double jump or airdash but unfortunately flight exists.

 

Respect Invite Hell because it's a good move. Respect Break the Law YRC because it's broken, unless for some reason he decides to Break the Law until he's next to you, in which case you might want to try 4ppppp to catch him even if he YRCes.

[Nyaa]

Can Ram do anything at all against Zato on wakeup? Her super gets absorbed by Eddie regardless of who's in front (seems like Eddie takes priority), and the same for DA-attack, Eddie eats it and Zato can just go ham with his attacks.

[Complexity]

Correct me if I'm wrong but using a DAA after a buzzsaw lockdown has a pretty good chance of hitting because most Zato players will advance forward to continue pressure while Eddie reels backwards from doing the buzzsaw.

 

If you are outside the corner, you just got to block whatever comes next.

 

Alternatively, you can man up and backdash, which will probably cost you a combo if the Zato player is good and can convert from airborne buzzsaw but it will get you out of his pressure since the combo will end with you teching in the air.

[Nyaa]

Hmm, I like the backdash option. Anything to mess up his pressure. I'll try using DAA after buzzsaw as well, thanks.