[Other: Q&A] Rachel Alucard Gameplay Questions and Answers

[Celerity]

Lobelia + OD is the new Maragidyne trick heh

Can you elaborate on this?

[gli]

If you can shoot a lobelia and then activate OD before the lobelia hits... the OD will stop time but the lobelia will still move and it causes hilarity on a crouching opponent.

Similarly, Yukiko could throw a fan then Maragidyne. Fan will still travel and can force an opponent to block.

[Dreiko]

If you can shoot a lobelia and then activate OD before the lobelia hits... the OD will stop time but the lobelia will still move and it causes hilarity on a crouching opponent.

Similarly, Yukiko could throw a fan then Maragidyne. Fan will still travel and can force an opponent to block.

Hehe, this actually worked prior to Maragidyne with Bang and his umbrella super. If you threw a B nail the nail would continue to travel during the super flash so the explosion would magically happen once the super flash ended even though the nail was still airborn when the DD begun.

[gli]

Interesting. So this is just the behavior of certain projectiles during superflash for ASW.

I remember back in CS1 or something you could spam Barrier during superflash and it would cause the game to slowdown. It's easier to do during Makoto Big Bang Smash.

[Tari]

Interesting. So this is just the behavior of certain projectiles during superflash for ASW.

I remember back in CS1 or something you could spam Barrier during superflash and it would cause the game to slowdown. It's easier to do during Makoto Big Bang Smash.

Yeah, it's probably most useful with Rachel's lobelias in this game. I think in GG all projectiles aren't affected by super freeze, but in BB it's just a couple that are special. I have no idea about whether it's universal in P4 or not, since my character in that game never has the opportunity to do projectiles and super freezes (more like, can anyone other than Yukiko do both at the same time?). >_>

You can sorta mess with characters like Hakumen who would normally try to cut lobelias by just doing BBL before the lobelia actually hits. If you time it right, the opponent will be frozen in move startup, the lobelia will counterhit during the super freeze, and then you'll get the BBL on the lobelia anyway. :v

[Juraya]

What are the best options if opponents start jumping out of your corner pressure?

Like when I get to 3c> frog the just jump out of it :O

[samthegreat]

Just meaty 2A or 5B, they can't jump out.

[Sakaku]

Pretty much. 5B > 236A will definitely hit them if they up-back, now with George activating, you can go for a juicy j.236A loop combo into another George. If you are too close they might be able to roll out, but you can prevent that by walking back a bit after the 5CDC wallstick - if you had to burn wind for it, that is.

And I don't know what's going on, but CP seems like up back/roll all day for the majority of players, it's really annoying.

[TD]

plenty are new to the game, or just new to this version of the game.

as stated 2a meaty works. much better now as its basically free damage into knockdown again. up back meets 5b which links into 236a etc etc.

in pressure there really shouldnt be any of this, but if youre too far to 50/50 you can dow j3b to cover the jumpout and pressure them back to the ground.

[Juraya]

Alright thanks. Gonna remember that.

[Tari]

@Sakaku: I think it's pretty much what TD said. There are a lot of newer players to the game right now, who are back-rolling and up-backing quite often. It doesn't help that players haven't really gotten the hang of their blockstrings yet, so the up-back is actually pretty effective in a lot of situations.

It's free combos for Rachel, but they really shouldn't be disrespecting her oki so much.

[gamester]

I think I've been rolling around a fair bit in BBCP or not moving at all. I'm still getting used to teching differently. I keep tapping buttons than holding them like I was told you have to do this version of the game.

EDIT: I just noticed the OP of this thread needs to be updated, we don't have Lotus in the moves list for example

[Tari]

I think I've been rolling around a fair bit in BBCP or not moving at all. I'm still getting used to teching differently. I keep tapping buttons than holding them like I was told you have to do this version of the game.

EDIT: I just noticed the OP of this thread needs to be updated, we don't have Lotus in the moves list for example

Added the lotuses to the OP, changed the input on the Astral, and removed mentions of guard primer breaking. Not sure where to add Crush Trigger (specials?) or what to write for either lotus. Pretty much just wrote a very basic intro to the lotus moves for now.

[Naphiel]

Is there a certain trick to getting Rachel's 6A to launch grounded opponents into the air (when used with wind) or is it a timing thing?

[Tari]

Just make sure that you're using 5D and not a directional wind input and it'll work fine. Of course, the wind has to come out before the 6A actually hits the opponent, but those are the only two requirements that I can think of.

[Naphiel]

I had been using 6D the entire time. Thanks.

[Dreizehn]

Hey, everyone! I was wondering if I could ask you all a couple of questions, mainly concerning what I should be confirming into on midscreen hits. Right now, I've been using 5BD>6A>dash>5B>6A>236A>dash>3C>214C>dash>6A>4B>dash>5CC into summon for strong hits, and 5BD>6A>4B>dash>5CC for weak starters. The first one in particular is tough on execution; nothing that more grinding won't solve, but I want to make sure it's worth it before committing the required practice time and waterfall-meditation-montage-hours to it. I didn't see it listed on the combo thread's reference post, but see it (and variations) on match videos often. So, tl;dr, should I be going for it, then?

The second question is related to j.A instant overheads. Right now, I'm just doing j.2AD>j.C>land>dash>5B>5CC into summon. Is there something better I could confirm into, or is it just not worth the wind/effort to try to get something else out of it?

Thanks in advance!

[TD]

It is the optimal route midscreen. If you can't do it consistently right now, go for corner carry combos anyway. 6cd, jb3d jc, 5bd 6a 4c dash 5b 6a 236a dash 3c, 3c 8d dash 6a 4b... All these routes are ok, some more wind intensive than others if you want more damage. But never sacrifice corner carry in these situations unless you want immediate pressure.

From ja that is all you are getting outside of the corner. As with any short grounded starter, 5bd 6a 4b dash 5cc is possible but not really worth the damage or the extra wind required.

[Dreizehn]

Alright, got it, thanks, TD! I'll go grind it, then.

[TopTierTaite]

Hey guys,
 I'm considering (And probably will go through with it) dropping my current main, Noel, for Rachel because she fits my playstyle much better. To start off, here's some questions:

1. Is Rachel much of a combo character? She seems kind of similar to Yukiko from P4A in the sense that she pretty much just zones and gets combos as they come, rather than deliberately trying to land that hit for a big combo.

2. What should I try to do as a day one Rachel?

3. I've been watching a player named Brkrdave on youtube and imo, he seems pretty good! However, with the lack of Rachel knowledge I have, I would like to know what you guys think of his play.

 

4. What are the most simple and practical BnBs that Rachel has access to in her arsenal?

5. What are you guys' opinion on Rachel as a character and her viability in a tournament setting? I plan on attending CEO and would like to be competent with her by then.

[Tari]

Hey guys,

 I'm considering (And probably will go through with it) dropping my current main, Noel, for Rachel because she fits my playstyle much better. To start off, here's some questions:

1. Is Rachel much of a combo character? She seems kind of similar to Yukiko from P4A in the sense that she pretty much just zones and gets combos as they come, rather than deliberately trying to land that hit for a big combo.

2. What should I try to do as a day one Rachel?

3. I've been watching a player named Brkrdave on youtube and imo, he seems pretty good! However, with the lack of Rachel knowledge I have, I would like to know what you guys think of his play.

 

4. What are the most simple and practical BnBs that Rachel has access to in her arsenal?

5. What are you guys' opinion on Rachel as a character and her viability in a tournament setting? I plan on attending CEO and would like to be competent with her by then.

I haven't really been playing BB lately, so it may be best if other players chime in on this, but here're my thoughts:

1. I suppose you could say that she takes combos as they come, rather than hunts for them. I don't know if that's a good way of thinking about it, though. Every character in the game is a combo character, and it's important to know how to capitalize on any random hit for maximum effect. She is a zoning character, though, so her neutral game can be less confrontational than some other characters'.

2. Assuming you're already comfortable with her normals and their ranges, I'd say you should focus on getting used to using her zoning tools for defense and offense. It usually takes people a little bit of time before they get used to how the pumpkin, frog, and lobelias work.

3. Brkrdave is arguably the best US Rachel player at the moment, and one of the top NA Rachels, so it's reasonable to watch his play. I think he pops by the forums every now and then? For JP players, you'll probably want to just find videos of N-O.

4. You'll probably want to learn Rachel's 5BD > 6A > etc. combos, as well as her corner 5CC wallstick combos. Generally, the goal for Rachel is to corner-carry opponents (like everyone else) or knock them down so you can start your really strong oki game.

5. She's very strong. Very, very strong. However, she takes a considerable amount of effort to fully utilize, so be prepared to put in the effort to play her. I wouldn't say anyone in the game isn't tournament viable, though I suppose people could make arguments for Amane and Makoto on that point.

[TopTierTaite]

Thanks! after messing around with Rachel today some more, I have a question that I still have difficulty understanding even after reading on the wiki: What are the lotuses for and why is Barrel lotus used more than Beelze? Lastly, how do you guys feel about Rachel after the patch? She still seems strong to me, but I'd like to know the opinions of more experienced Rachel players than myself since I've only used her for a day and a half.

[Celerity]

Thanks! after messing around with Rachel today some more, I have a question that I still have difficulty understanding even after reading on the wiki: What are the lotuses for and why is Barrel lotus used more than Beelze? Lastly, how do you guys feel about Rachel after the patch? She still seems strong to me, but I'd like to know the opinions of more experienced Rachel players than myself since I've only used her for a day and a half.

 

The lotuses affect her wind in different ways. Beelze Lotus basically just increases the strength of all of her wind, while Barrel Lotus only affects 5D, making it stronger and giving it homing. The homing property is the big reason why it gets used at all; it's very useful for zoning with Lobelias, whereas Beelze Lotus has very few applications outside of a few specific combos.

 

I believe Rachel is considered top tier again after the patch, mostly due to the nerfs to other characters and the fact that she was left relatively untouched.

[Venussail91]

Didn't know where else to put this, but thought it would be an interesting topic for discussion.  Since Rachel is so reliant on reads to properly trap her opponent, do you guys think it's a legit Anti-Rachel tactic to keep switching characters in long sets so it's hard to get a feel for the opponent?  It seems pretty legit, but I wanted to know your opinions.

[Errol]

No. It is gimmicky though and annoying.