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RurouniLoneWolf

[XrdR] Jack-O Starters Guide

By RurouniLoneWolf, in Jack-O'

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RurouniLoneWolf   

RurouniLoneWolf
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Evernote version for when DL is down - http://www.evernote.com/l/AnAEmYsdAB9Ojbm04Sjp0NnuNJS9IxW83hg/
 
Introduction

Hey everyone. Rurouni here. This is a Jack-O Starter Guide. I made this guide for one reason and one reason only: to make it as EASY as possible for people to pick up the character and be able to hold their own fairly quickly. Several things can make Jack-O a diifcult character to learn and play. The structure of her pressure and mixup is a bit unusual compared to what you'd normally find. If you haven't played a summon character before, dealing with rushdown can be overwhelming. And perhaps the biggest hurdle of all will be the need to constantly confirm the situation of your servants on screen and decide/alter your neutral, pressure and combos accordingly.

If by writing this guide I made it easier for you to pick up this character, then I'll be glad ^,^
 
Neutral
 
Neutral: where matches are won and loss. There's a lot to cover and a lot of stuff that go into that's matchup specific. I'm just going to cover general themes and the most common stuff here. Improving and sharpening your neutral game tends to take lots of time and experience so don't worry too much if things aren't clicking or you're struggling with things right away. Just do your best to improve one step at a time.
 
Round Start
 
Jack-O has several good round start options. I'm listing the most common ones here but in reality, you'll want to narrow or broaden what you want to consider to do at the start of the round on a matchup by matchup basis.
 
f.S
f.S can be a good option at round start because of its range. On hit or block, you can special cancel into a ghost set.
 
Back Dash
Back dash is also another good option. During the back dash, take the time to confirm what your opponent is currently doing. If he's rushing in, you can try to stop them with f.S. If they're being cautious, you can place a ghost.
Round Start Back Dash - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=642
 
Forward/Back Jump
Forward/Back Jump and observe is a nice passive round start option to just see what your opponent does and get a feel for the sort of things they might try to do at round start. Jump forward if you want to fish to whiff punish round start pokes with poor vertical range. Jump back to focus more on observing what your opponent does
Round Start Jump Back - https://youtu.be/8Zm9NQ6v1RA?t=19
 
3HS
3HS can also be a good option at round start due to its ability to low profile some of your opponent's round start options. On hit, it'll let you set up a ghost or two. On block, it's usually safeish because of the distance away from the opponent you'll be doing it from. The biggest danger here is whiffing 3HS entirely can lead to punishes or putting you in undesirable situations, which is why you probably won't be using this option as much as others. 
 
Dealing with rushdown
 
Intercepting
 
Your first line of defense against dealing with rushdwon, especially when you don't have anything out on the screen. The theory behind this tactic is straight forward. Characters want to rush in and stop you from setting up. We're going to take advantage of that. At the heart of this tactic is the ability to swiftly change gears. You want to start by passively running away, pretending like you are trying to make space so that you can safely put down ghosts while in reality carefully observing their movements. If the opponent chases after you to try and stop you, take them by surprise by changing gears. A sudden dash forward f.S or air dash j.S/j.HS can throw them off and net you a full combo, placing a ghost and pressure.
 
Once you've demonstrated to your opponent a few times that you're willing to go on the offensive suddenly like this, you'll find that they'll hesitate a bit more to rush in. If you notice this hesitation while you're pretending to run away, you'll be able to take advantage of it and setup. It'll probably be hard to get used to at first but once you start getting a good feel for it, you'll find that you'll be able to change gears at the drop of a hat.
 
Rushdown with IAD j.S > j.HS - https://youtu.be/totOidu5OE4?t=1925
Jump back > Low to the ground air dash j.S > j.HS intercept - https://youtu.be/totOidu5OE4?t=2514
 
Making use of Jack-O's diverse toolbox
 
Where intercepting applied mostly to the situation where characters want to rush you down and you don't have anything out on the screen yet, this section instead covers the situation where you have a few things out on the screen but not enough servants to attempt a servant lockdown

Ground/IAD/IABD Ghost Throw
 
An all around solid option because of the trajectory ghost throws travel along, their blockstun/hitstun and CH Air Hits being easily convertible into full combos (Even when you trade sometimes!!!). Ground, IABD or a regular jump back Ghost Throw are all good ways to zone out the opponent. While IAD Ghost Throw is great for covering an approach to get in. Choose which ghost throw is best to do based on the situation with your servants and your spacing to the opponent

Super jump > Meter j.D
 
As one would imagine, meter j.D's 3 fireballs can do a good job of creating an impassable wall in neutral, which can be pretty useful for hindering people trying to rush in. While the 3 fireballs are firing, be sure to confirm the current situation on the screen. You can still use remaining air options after j.D so now's the time to decide how best to use them. If your opponent ran past the fireballs and is waiting underneath, it's probably a good idea to consider air dashing away to safety. On the other hand, if the fireballs did their job and got them to back off to avoid them, you might consider air dashing towards them to take them by surprise. 
Using remaining air options after j.D to get to safety Example - https://youtu.be/TqrEgCSAQ1Y?t=2354

Rushdown+
 
The right servant or two in the right place can work wonders to help Jack-O's rushdown. Th risk of them getting tagged by a stray lancer or knight's attack creates situations where an opponent will hesitate where normally pushing a button could solve their problem. Similarly, the right servant or two in the right place can also limit an opponent's movement options and force them to move in a much more predictable way that you can take advantage of while rushing down 
Servant tagging an opponent out of a blocked attack, leading to full combo Example - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=741
 
Dealing with Air Approaches
 
There are multiple ways to deal with air appraoches but each tool works best in certain situations. Be sure to confirm the situation before deciding on which tool to use
 
2S
While it isn't 1f upper body invuln like 6P, her hurtbox is pretty low to the ground and the upward vertical kick has good vertical range (But limited horizontal range!) On CH, you can convert it into a full combo
Ideal Time To Use: Due to 2S's limited horizontal range, you'll want to use this mainly when the opponent is right above or on top of you. Also, like many Anti-Airs, it usually works best in situations where the opponent has to commit to the jump in.

6P
Not as desirable to use as an anti air as 2S because on CH, it'll blow back full screen instead of giving you a full combo. However, it's very useful as an anti-air in tight situations because of the usual 6P 1F upper body invuln.
Ideal Time To Use: Up close and in very tight situations where 6P's 1f upper body invuln can save your life 
 
Jump Up Air Throw
In general in Guilty Gear, a solid option to deal with air options when you're close enough because of how fast throws are.
Ideal Time to Use: Works best in situations where the opponent isn't really within range of 2S or 6P and doesn't necessarily have to commit to pressing a button
 
Jump Up j.K
j.K has pretty good horizontal range and is a good option to deal with air approaches in an air to air way 
Ideal Time to Use: Unlike all the previous options, j.K is best used when the opponent isn't quite up close to you. You'll want to use this around j.K's maximum range to make the most of it. Also since j.K doesn't have the advantages of the previous option (2S's low hurtbox, 6P's 1fF Upper body invuln, Air Throw's quick start up), you'll need to do this more in advance than your previous options which might require you to predict the air approach. 
 
6HS
Good long range anti-air, mostly to prevent people from jumping out of getting locked down by servants in some situations.
Ideal Time to Use: Because of the risks of getting punished on whiff, you mostly want to use this either when you're dealing with opponent's with a lack of air options, sluggish air movement or when you have knights and lancers covering the ground to minimize the risks 
 
 
Setting up Ghosts
 
Getting ghosts out on the screen is an important part of Jack-O's gameplan so it's important to know when to get them out.
 
Neutral
 
Luckily for us, placing a ghost doesn't take too much time (22 Frames) so as long as you can create a bit of space between you and your opponent, it isn't too hard to get out a ghost. If there's enough space between you and your opponent, you might even be able to place 2 of them.
 
However, characters aren't just going to let you create that space to begin with. Be sure to read the "Dealing With Rushdown - Intercepting" part of the guide because it's very important  to being able to set up ghosts in neutral.
 
After Combos and Throws
 
One of the nice benefits of knockdowns is that it gives you plenty of time at your advantage. Whether it's after a combo or a throw, be sure to take the time to place at least one ghost down if all your ghosts aren't already out
 
Ground Throw > setup - https://youtu.be/VxBlc0r2Fl0?t=1529
 
 
Mixup & Pressure
 
Jack-O takes her unusual character design and brings it with her into her mixup and pressure. For the most part, Jack-O abandons the typical mixup and blockstring structure and replaces it with a more servant lockdown or assisted oriented approach. Standard mixup and pressure structure is still used from time to time but is usually done less often or done in a way that'll help you set up the servant lockdown.
 
Servant Lockdown
 
As the name of this subsection implies, the name of the game is to get the opponent's trapped in the blockstun of servants constantly attacking. This tends to be the easiest to do in the corner but it can be done midscreen too. It'll require more effort and a bit of luck since you'll need to have your servants in a pincer formation to cut off their escape routes but it can definitely be done midscreen. 
 
Setting up the lockdown pressure
 
There are 3 Important Situations to look out for

1. Servants are between you and the opponent
 
This is the best case scenario. If your servants aren't already clocked up and Clock Up isn't on cooldown, then the first thing you should do is use Clock Up. The next thing you need to do is to make it difficult to jump out. For this, you need to use your ghosts and throw them in a way that it'll create a hard to pass wall. Rinse and repeat until the servants have your opponent completely locked down
Corner Example 2 - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=104
Corner Example 3 - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=495
Midscreen to corner Servant Lockdown Example 1 - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=262

Special note: If you're running out of ghosts, you can make use of the Organ Command to Retrieve all Ghosts to reload your supply
Retrieve ghosts during midscreen swarm to get more ghosts to throw Example - https://youtu.be/t0kVy-dcfHo?t=4270
 
 
2. Servants are between you and the opponent but the knights and lancers' formation is loose
 
Of the three situations, this is probably the most important sitaution to recognize. The loose formation of the knights and lancers means that it's more easy for opponents to get out of the lockdown by getting past the servants on the ground. If you let yourself get too focused on picking up and throwing ghosts, you might end up getting hit out of it by an opponent who suddenly rushed forward on the ground. However, if your opponent tries to rush forward and you block, he might end up opening himself up because a nearby servant might hit him while you're blocking. On the other hand, if you're being too passive and waiting for him to rush forward, he might just take advantage of you not throwing ghosts to just jump out. It's a tricky situation that can turn the tides of the round in either direction depending on who makes a mistake. Handle it with the greatest of care.
Loose knight and lancer formation Example 1 - https://youtu.be/IGUyhalhX8A?t=3286
Loose knight and lancer formation Example 2 - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=371
Loose Knight and lancer formation Example 3 - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=381
Loose knight and lancer formation Example 4 - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=504

3. Servants are lagging behind

This is the situation where you finish your combo and unfortunately, your servants are not already there but are behind you or approaching from the other side of the opponent if you're midscreen. You have two options in this situation.

The first option is to retreat back behind your servants. This can be an especially good option if your opponent is in the corner and your servants aren't trailing too far behind. Your opponent might try to chase after you in the hopes of getting a stray hit to make all the servants disappear so you need to be careful when you're first retreating. Once you're safely behind your servants, you can go for situation 1's workflow.  
 
The second option is to stand your ground and try to buy time for your servants with pressure. Stagger pressure is one good way to buy time. Take advantage of both 2K and cS being +3 on block to vary the way you reset your pressure. You can also try picking up a ghost and throwing it if there's one nearby and you do a blockstring that pushes you out to a distance that makes it hard to challenge. Another thing you can do is jump up above the opponent and use the meter version of j.D to trap the opponent in blockstun/hitstun to buy some time as well.  
Stagger pressure to buy time for servants - https://youtu.be/IGUyhalhX8A?t=4503
Using Meter j.D to stall for time for the servants to swarm in the corner - https://youtu.be/IGUyhalhX8A?t=3186
 
Mixups

Now that the servants have the opponent locked down, it's time to reap your rewards. Now that the opponent is trapped in blockstun, you can pretty much go for any high/low mixup you want. The sky is the limit!

5D
 
An especially good mixup when you have the opponent locked down with clocked up servants because the red glow of the servants can make it hard to see the usual red flash that a dust makes in some cases.

Run up 6K

Straight forward. Just run up and do 6K while the servants have the opponent locked down. Because the servants will be attacking constantly, you'll be able to convert it into a combo without spending meter
Example 2 - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=695

Run up 2K
 
Jump > Low to the ground IAD j.S > j.HS mixup - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=164
Empty Jump > 2K Low - https://youtu.be/totOidu5OE4?t=2478
 
Mixups without Servant Lockdown
 
6K
 
An overhead. Under normal circumstances, you can't convert it into a combo meterless unless a Knight or Lancer attack happens to be timed to attack at just the right moment. That said, if you have 50 meter, you can always convert this into a full combo by doing 6K > RC Air dash j.S > j.HS.
6K > RC Air Dash j.S > j.HS > ground ender Example -  https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=566
 
Because 6K makes Jack-O airborne, it's also good for beating and punishing an opponent's attempt to throw on wakeup. You can't convert it into a combo on CH though.
 
Additionally, there are these interesting 6K YRC mixups that I've seen Mike use from time to time in his matchups. I'd like to experiment with these more once Revelator drops but for now, I'll just put these examples here to give people food for thought and experiment
6K YRC > Jump Over Cross Up - https://youtu.be/t0kVy-dcfHo?t=1413
6K YRC > Empty Jump Over >  2K Low -  https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=670
 
6D
 
Command grab. Rarely used as a mixup due to a combination of the unusual structure of Jack-O's pressure and the risks of getting punished when people jump out but it's still good to use every now and then. It can't be converted into a combo normally midscreen but its damage on its own is pretty good
 
IAD Ghost Throw > Throw

The key here is to have a good understanding of your spacing when you do IAD Ghost Throw so that you know before hand that the Ghost will actually whiff over your opponent slightly so that you can throw them when you land.

Midscreen IAD Ghost Throw > Throw - https://youtu.be/mRGFE2cuTwM?t=295
Corner IAD Ghost Throw > land Throw - https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=1120
 
IAD Ghost Throw > Low
 
The throw mixup route involved having you get your spacing right to get the ghost to whiff over them. This land low variation instead requires you to have perfect spacing where the ghost will definitely hit the opponent. The end result should be that when you land and hit them with a low then the ghost should arrive after to hit the opponent and give you time to continue the combo by running up to them. Spacing for where you land to do the low might also be important in order to avoid any 6Ps.
 
 
Defense
 
In terms of character specific options, Jack-O has a number of options. But before covering her character specific options, I'd like to take this opportunity to suggest first learning and mastering what the system mechanics have to offer. Character specific options can be very powerful but the risks are also just as high. While not as outright powerful, the options provided by system mechanics often pose less risks and can be somewhat as powerful if used strategically, especially if you take the time to learn and understand the structure and goals of your opponent's mixup and pressure. I highly recommend experimenting with them. 
 
0-Low Resources
2D - 1f invuln and can be used like a regular DP. Due note that like all of Jack-O's D moves, it'll use meter if meter is available. The meter version has faster startup (9f metered vs 14f meterless). Also, you should keep in mind that 2D's horizontal range is limited
Limited Range Example - https://youtu.be/totOidu5OE4?t=2110
 
Resources
360P - Forever Elysion Driver is 1f invuln and can also be used as a reversal. Costs meter but the jump forward gives it more horizontal range though it'll lose to airborne opponents since it's a grab. It also does a lot of damage (150).  If you have 75 meter when attempting to use this as a reversal, be sure to react to what the opponent is doing during the super flash and YRC if necessary to try save yourself from whiffing and getting punished.
Attempt to keep yourself safe Example - https://youtu.be/totOidu5OE4?t=298

236D - Like most burst enhanced supers, the burst enhanced version of Calvados is 1f invuln and can be used as a reversal. More pricey than your other options since it'll cost both 50 meter and a burst but Calvados has a lot of blockstun/hitstun and can be safeish on block while converting into a full combo on hit.
 
 
Combos
 
To be honest, when I originally started writing this guide, I planned to not even write this section. After thinking about it for a while though, I decided to write something that would more properly explain the situation than just leaving it out entirely.
 
In terms of combos, I think it's best (especially when you're first starting off like you are now) to just keep your combos really simple. A lot of the reason for this is because of how the servants work. Because servants attack on their own time intervals that can be hard to keep track of and sync up with, there's a lot of danger of a servant attacking at the wrong time, causing a combo to drop. Then you have to deal with an opponent teching in your face and putting you in an awkward at best, terrible at worst situation. For this reason, I think it's best to keep things as simple as possible so that you can more easily control these situations on reaction when they happen. But that's mostly my opinion. If you decide to ignore it and follow your own path, that's cool too. I wish you good luck and godspeed o7
 
Basic Combos
 
2K > cS > fS > 3HS > 22P/K/S (|> 22P/K/S)
Simple combo that ends in knockdown and gives you a chance to place a ghost or pick up a ghost to throw if one is nearby.
 
CH 2S > dash cS > jc j.P > j.K > j.S > djc j.S > j.HS > j.4D~X
Simple AA combo from 2S. Make sure to confirm your situation near the end of the combo and decide the best direction to toss the opponent from j.4D  
 
CH AA Ghost Throw > j.S > djc j.S > j.HS > j.4D~X
This specific CH combo is for an opponent that got hit high up. You have a lot of time to capitalize on the effect of CH Ghost Throw on air hit so you can alter it based on the exact height and spacing you hit the opponent. Closer to the ground and further away , you might consider the same dash cS route as the CH AA 2S route above. 
 
6K > RC > air dash j.S > j.HS > ground ender
Simple RC combo from a 6K mixup. 
Requires: 50 meter
 
Compensating for Servants

Because of the nature of how servants work, sometimes they can interrupt sensitive points in a combo and cause it to drop or not finish as intended. It's important to recognize when this could happen and compensate for them accordingly. In the case of 3HS, servants can sometimes attack while the opponent is falling or on the ground and ruin the 3HS's usual knockdown. You can try to salvage the situation by mashing 5P to link it after the 3HS and then chain into 5K to knock them a safe distance away or jump cancel into an air combo into j.4D to throw them away.
Saving yourself from a servant messing up your knockdown -  https://youtu.be/9nyATYpN_K0?t=1297
 

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